Legend of Korra: The Trial
by HikariXavier
Summary: A temporary Author's note: I apologise for the lack of updates, but I have important exams all throughout now until mid June. I will try to add more chapters in the meanwhile but I may not depending on how much time I have left during this hectic process...once again sorry- but, we're down to the last 10 chapters!
1. Returning to Republic City

Perfect, Asami thought as she descended from the portal's light, hand in hand with her girlfriend of two weeks. Having never left the mortal world, Asami had been amazed at the wonders she had been witness to. The spirits and the landscapes had a wondrous, awe inspiring beauty to them that even the air temples could not hope to match. It had been an euphoric two weeks, and Asami was already finding herself nostalgic for an experience that only ended a few minutes ago.

Yet, however ethereal the spirit world was, she was glad to return- even if it meant the end of a vacation. Her company, like most businesses in the city, had suffered damage from Kuvira's assault and at this point needed a strong CEO more than ever. And of course, Korra was the Avatar, the human embodiment of light and peace. Such a position didn't come with the best holiday packages.

The sky was just beginning to brighten as the sun rose east of the portal, leaving them to make their trek back to Air Temple Island (where everyone was staying) in relative peace and isolation. The morning sun illuminating her ivory skin and the silence of the early hours attracting all of Korra's attention to her, Asami looked impossibly radiant and beautiful- Korra felt the need to kiss her. Asami had the same feeling, and they prepared for a passionate embrace, taking advantage of the brief solitude they could enjoy. Or so they thought…

"Jinora!" Korra exclaimed, immediately blushing as she saw the girl hovering above them. All Asami could do was bury her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment. What a way to come out. Maybe staying in the spirit world for a few more days wouldn't have been so bad. At least Jinora was alone. To put things into perspective, Mako could've been the one to discover them.

"Don't worry- I knew" the airbender smirked, flying down to the ground and rushing to give them a warm hug. "Ever since Harmonic Convergence, it's been clear that you were destined for each other" she observed, hoping to submerge any growing awkwardness her presence had caused. It only made it worse. The silence was broken by a discussion on Wu's plans to revolutionise the Earth Kingdom and Kuvira's upcoming trial.

A boat was waiting to take them to Air Temple Island, with Zhu Li at the helm. And Varrick behind her, holding her hips in a…_suggestive_ manner. "How was your romantic fortnight?" he asked, to which Korra and Asami stared uncomfortably at each other, and then at Jinora. "My lips were sealed" she replied.

Korra would've asked Varrick what he was talking about, hoping to dispel the (true) notion about her relationship and sexuality, but she had to ask herself first- was it so obvious? Did everyone catch onto the fact that she and Asami were an item? What would Mako's reaction be? All these were questions Korra wanted to think about later, preferably not at all. Asami was asking herself the same questions, but she was less frantic about it than her girlfriend.

Once they reached the island, Korra made it a point to walk at least five steps behind Asami, not wanting to attract any more attention to their relationship. Already three people had deduced their new couple status, and both wanted to keep it at that number.

Tenzin and Mako were waiting to greet them, along with Wu and Lord Zuko. After formal greetings and informal hugs, Korra was escorted by Tenzin, Wu and the former Fire Lord inside into Tenzin's private office to discuss matters concerning the future of the Earth Kingdom and how Korra could help with the changes proposed by the matured prince Wu.

Meanwhile, Asami carried Korra's backpack along with her own and started talking to Mako. In true Mako style, he had offered to carry all the luggage, but Asami politely insisted on denying him another chivalric fantasy. Their discussion mainly was on the trivial, such as vague plans for the future and Bolin's plans to re-enter the movers business. All the while Asami was praying that Mako wouldn't ask about the vacation in too much detail.

"So what's dating Korra like?' Mako asked, and Asami stopped in her tracks. She wanted to pretend that she had no idea what her ex was talking about, but she felt a man whose former girlfriends got with each other deserved an honest reply. "Great, I know I'm sounding deluded here- but I feel like she's my soul mate" Asami said, before noticing Mako look away. Why did she say that- to him?

To her great surprise and greater relief, Mako smiled. Asami tried to figure out if it was genuine or not, but Mako just took her hand and started speaking. "If Korra feels the same way about you, then I'm happy- for both of you. I just hope that, can you promise me that, you'll be good to Korra, better than I was to both of you" he asked, showing that behind a hardened exterior, he truly was a selfless man.

"Of course, I love her" promised Asami, hugging Mako. "Thank you for your support" she added. After a minute of content silence, Mako jokingly asked if they had always been bisexual, or whether he was such a bad boyfriend that his exes just had to come together. Asami reassured him it was the former, but she also reminded him that he was indeed a lousy lover.


	2. The President's Fury

While Asami was re-familiarising herself with Air Temple Island, Korra sat herself down amongst the world leaders and Lord Zuko. Their meeting place being Tenzin's living room, the situation appeared less formal than most conferences involving people of such status, allowing Korra a heartfelt reunion with her father. She looked to her cousins for a similar reception. Desna waved and Eska remained motionless.

All pleasantries having been exchanged, Raiko saw it fit to began the meeting. "Firstly, my sincere thanks for extending your stays in Republic City by a week for the Avatar's convenience" he said, obviously meaning to chide Korra for her vacation. At this point Eska glared at Korra, who could only awkwardly smile back.

Having managed to not so subtly berate her, Raiko voiced his own thoughts on what should be done. "Kuvira needs to be punished severely for her actions, and we can use the trial as a means of humiliation before her execution" he stated, provoking the horror of the Avatar.

"Execution? President Raiko, with all due respect, that seems extremely harsh" Korra remarked, disturbed at Raiko's idea to kill a troubled young woman. "I agree" Tenzin stated, rising up to support his surrogate daughter's viewpoint. "Kuvira did surrender, and seemed genuinely repentant for her actions" he added, looking to the Fire Lords (current and former) and Tonraq to back him and Korra up. As a pacifist, he always looked for the peaceful alternative.

But before Izumi could offer her opinion, Raiko laid his fist upon the table and angrily rebutted Tenzin. "It would be an insult to justice to allow Kuvira anything but the harshest punishment for her heinous crimes!" he cried. For such a shrewd politician, he seemed unnervingly passionate about punishing the former Great Uniter. Korra was taken aback.

And she was not alone. With the exception of the twins, fear was marked on all faces present. It was about two minutes before someone (namely Izumi) suggested that the meeting recommence tomorrow. All agreed as they quickly scuttled out of the room, Raiko trailing behind as he recomposed himself.

"Well, that was…intense" Tenzin remarked, once he and Korra found themselves a private location outside. "I never thought I'd see Raiko get so heated up about anything- he always seemed like the guy to play things safe" Korra replied.

"It's election season in Republic City, and with dwindling approval in the polls, Raiko's looking for a chance to be re-elected. By crushing Kuvira- maybe even to the death, he can come off as a hero to those whose lives have been ruined by the invasion" Tenzin explained. It all made sense to Korra. Even if Raiko seemed uncharacteristically dogmatic, he was only proving how pragmatic he truly was.

"Well, with that sorted- how was your well earned vacation?" Tenzin inquired, feeding some apples to Oogie. At this point Korra blushed, and gave a generic "it was nice" as an answer. "How did Asami find the spirit world?" he continued. "She loved it, at every moment she wanted to explore a new place. And she even managed to beat Iroh at Pai-sho when we visited him" Korra recalled, remembering the blissful two weeks spent there. Now, within an hour of being back, she was already dealing with a bloodthirsty Raiko and trying to keep her romance under the radar.

"Ikki and Meelo have been begging for a trip ever since you've left, unfortunately my memories of the place have been tainted that I nearly lost my daughter there permanently" Tenzin said, mounting Oogie. "Of course, the fact that Jinora suffered misfortune there is probably reason enough why they like the spirit world" he observed cynically.

"Well, that's just sibling rivalry I guess" Korra chuckled, wondering why siblings fought so frequently. The airbabies, Mako and Bolin, Suyin's children (although that example was more on the extreme spectrum)… thinking about the Beifongs, she was wondering if Baatar jr. would be prosecuted- he would obviously just get a few years in prison at the most, but with Raiko's attitude to the defeated Earth Empire…

Korra's train of thought was interrupted by Tenzin's shout of "Yip Yip!" to his sky bison as both flew into Republic City. She would've returned to her thoughts, but then Wu approached her. If he was going to hit on her, then this would be the only time that she would willingly admit to her relationship with Asami.

Instead he seemed totally platonic in his intentions, so Korra readily struck up a conversation with him. The discussion soon turned to his plans to abolish the Earth Kingdom as a monarchy and to establish a federation of different states within the old borders.

"I proposed it to the other world leaders, but they laughed it off- except for those creepy twins who threatened to shoot acid laced icicles at me" Wu reminisced. This disappointed Korra, as she believed that the totalitarian Earth Kingdom led by the dead Queen led to the Red Lotus laying waste to the land, which caused Kuvira to step up as dictator.

But in hindsight, she could see why Wu's plan didn't sit well with the others. Save for Raiko (who was no champion of freedom himself) and her father, all the other World Leaders had received their positions based on blood. Even if the Air Nation didn't have a government, Tenzin's successor would inevitably be his eldest daughter.

"Well I have to go and tend to my badger moles" Wu said, leaving the conversation. "Oh and by the way, congratulations to you and Asami! I never knew you were lesbians- that's why you could resist me!" he added, and Korra let out a groan that could rival a sky bison's yawn.

"We're bisexual first, and how did you figure out we were in a relationship?!" Korra exclaimed, blushing furiously. "Oh come on, Korra, when you take someone for two weeks to the spirit world the bond is stronger than mere friendship" Wu stated, before leaving her.

As he left, Korra returned to her own thoughts again. Wu was still annoying, true, but he had a valid point. The bond between Korra and Asami was strong. And it was something she needed to stop denying.


	3. Coming Out Against Concrete

Asami fell into bed readily, the stress of having to run a company after two weeks of holiday bliss having been excruciatingly tiring. Not that falling asleep itself was all that easy, considering the fact that her bed lacked a mattress.

Mako's and Bolin's family were lovely, and Wu was…okay, but having to share her house with both parties proved to be a…hassle, so she decided to reside on Air Temple Island until Wu moved out in two weeks time. Tenzin was more than happy to reserve a room for her and Korra's use- but he also believed sleeping on a bare hard surface worked wonders for your back.

Nevertheless, with some wriggling about, Asami found the bed to be surprisingly comfortable (or maybe she was just so tired?), but the desire to sleep suddenly escaped her. Instead, she started thinking. About everything that happened. Korra. Her sexuality.

She'd known she was bisexual for about six years now. Men and women were both sexually enticing to her. But she never came out- not because she was scared of anyone's reaction (Republic City was an open minded place and she knew several LGBTQ individuals) but rather because she never thought it would be relevant. Even if she was attracted to women, all her boyfriends had been… boyfriends. She always assumed that she would settle down with a man and happily live with him until their twilight years.

But Korra changed everything. Two weeks ago they had embarked on the first same sex relationship of both of their lives', and it was an experience that seemed simultaneously so natural and yet so surreal. Being with Korra seemed natural, she was Asami's soul mate, but she never thought it would happen…

Korra looked unusually serene, her face framed perfectly by her mid length bob.

Unusually because Asami had heard about the meeting between the world leaders. But how perfect that serene face looked, the moonlight illuminating its Amazonian beauty. Asami smiled, wondering if she should move their separate beds next to each other… various external factors persuaded her it would be a bad idea.

Either the older generation weren't as perceptive as her peers, or they were more discreet, but Tenzin, Lin and Bumi didn't say anything to reveal that they knew anything about her relationship. Varrick had figured it out, but Varrick's level of maturity was questionable. So Asami didn't want to risk surprising them by sharing a bed with her girlfriend. Besides, their relationship hadn't blossomed to that extent yet. Soon though…Asami thought, as sleep eventually came to her.

The next day proved hellish. Repairing the company from the ground up proved even more difficult than anticipated, and Raiko had not so politely requested Future Industries cover rebuilding the city's infrastructure without external government funds- she was hoping he'd suffer a landslide defeat in the next election.

As only about 40% of the city's population had returned from the evacuation, the company was short of workers, so Asami, Korra Mako, Bolin (with their attached family), Lin (and the police force), Suyin, Huan, Wei, Wing, Lord Zuko, Tonraq and the Air Nation (sky bison included) had to pitch in with the manual labour. And even then barely anything came of their efforts. Earth bending sure was excellent at destroying cities, but when it came to repairing them maybe it needed some masters to develop the art further.

At least the work provided her an excuse to be with Team Avatar- reunited fully- again. She had realised how little she had spoken to Bolin within the last three years, and used the day to reacquaint herself with him, as they discussed his plans to star in _Bolin: Saviour of the Kingdom_, Varrick's new project. Asami only predicted that it would have to be better than _Nuktuk: Hero of the South._

"So, when's your engagement party?" Bolin asked, which threw Asami back several miles. "Engagement?! To whom?!" she exclaimed incredulously, wondering if Bolin had been eating too many noodles again. "To Korra!" Bolin bounced back. "We've been a couple for two weeks" Asami stated flatly, and Bolin realised that he shouldn't have taken Ikki's words about his friends as the concrete truth.

But as Bolin ran off, trying to hunt down Ikki, Asami was left wondering about celebrating her new romance. Even though yesterday she had felt embarrassed whenever someone commented on her relationship, as the hours progressed, she wanted people to know about her and Korra. In part to stop questions from Meelo on whether or not they could be a couple, but also she wanted to illustrate her love for Korra was something she wasn't ashamed of.

As people finished up for the day, Asami decided to showcase exactly what she had enjoyed in the Spirit World. "Korra, come over her!" Asami called, and Korra did just that, wondering what her girlfriend was planning to do with her. To her immense surprise (and even greater pleasure) Asami kissed her, right on the lips, their silhouettes strikingly complimented by the sunset. Even though initially shocked, Korra was more than happy to continue the kiss.

Both women looked around to see the reaction on their friends' faces. Meelo's jaw had dropped several inches, prompting Jinora to face palm herself. Otherwise the reactions were positive- even on the faces of older people like Lord Zuko. Tonraq looked proud and Suyin was cheering them on like an elated fan-girl.

"I love you" Korra whispered, resting her head on Asami. Asami didn't feel the need to reply, her answer seemed too obvious to state.


	4. An Uneasy Compromise

"You can't be a megalomaniacal dictator unaided" Raiko explained to an angry Suyin. Korra and Tenzin had accidentally stumbled on a conversation between the two, and while normally not fans of eavesdropping, both felt the exchange was too interesting and crucial to ignore. So they listened from some distance back, realising that the subject of discussion was Baatar jr.

"To say that my repentant son should be punished alongside the woman who tried to kill him is ridiculous!" Suyin exploded, acting in a manner fairly similar to how Raiko himself had been acting yesterday. Hearing her reminded Tenzin of when he broke up with Lin, and this current incident really hammered home that despite obvious differences, the sisters shared more traits than either would like to admit.

"He was her fiancé and party to her schemes- like her, he is a war criminal!" Raiko retaliated, and Korra evaluated both sides of the argument she wasn't participating in. It was true that Baatar was Kuvira's fiancé, and he was basically her right hand man for much of her misguided crusade. On the other hand, he was arguably the greatest victim of Kuvira's, and like her, wanted to make amends.

"To say that Baatar should be punished just because of his proximity to Kuvira is just as ridiculous as charging Varrick, Zhu Li and Bolin for their involvement in the Earth Empire!" Suyin cried, not thinking that Raiko would follow through with her statement. "If it's hypocrisy you worry about Suyin, then I will be happy to see the rest of Kuvira's entire inner circle prosecuted for their actions" he stated, and it was at this point that Korra had to reveal herself.

"You can't throw them in jail!" she exclaimed, coming out from outside Raiko's office. The president and Suyin were more perplexed than angry that the Avatar and her mentor were listening to what they were saying, and it took an indignant Raiko to end three minutes of an awkward silence.

"What are you doing here to begin with?" he questioned angrily, not wanting the opposition of the Avatar. "We came to report on the progress with rebuilding the city's roads- which by the way cannot be done in the timeframe you've given us" Korra replied, fulfilling the goal she actually came to Raiko to achieve, before enduring the brunt of the president's anger.

"And you saw it fit to interfere with my policies? Question my decisions?!" Raiko fumed, acting more like the dead Earth Queen than an elected representative of the people. "You can't imprison Bolin!" Korra protested, adamant that her friend not be punished for being a mere puppet of Kuvira's. While she was unsure of how Baatar jr. should be punished, she was more than sure that Bolin be allowed to walk free.

"The entirety of the Earth Empire needs to be brought to justice, and unfortunately for you Korra, your friend was an integral part of that regime" Raiko said, returning to his more familiar calm demeanour. While Korra could see at least some sense to Raiko's words, she felt it completely unreasonable that Bolin should possibly spend the rest of his life in prison (Raiko after all wanted Kuvira to be executed) for what essentially was a mistake of judgement.

Knowing that Korra wouldn't win over Raiko by citing the importance of forgiveness, she instead played a game he was more enthusiastic to play: politics. "Remember how taken aback by your insistence on Kuvira's death the other world leaders were? Imagine what the reaction would be to your decision to imprison a man they all admire and know personally as a friend- as well as the former fiancé of the Northern Water Tribe's chieftess?" Korra argued, knowing that Raiko was nothing if not pragmatic.

At this point Suyin guessed that her best opportunity to save her son from imprisonment laid with supporting Korra, and she did just that. "But Bolin was part of the effort that thwarted Kuvira's invasion of the city- if anything, he should be rewarded!" Suyin stated, bringing up what seemed like an obvious point. She wanted to say that prosecuting Bolin, Varrick and Zhu Li would cause another dip in his already low approval ratings, but Suyin knew that reminding Raiko of that would set off another tantrum.

Raiko reflected on what had been said, and decided that a compromise was necessary. "Fine then, I guess we can negotiate. All of the Earth Empire's inner circle members will be placed in custody alongside the two who are already detained, but a fair trial will be held to determine what sentence, if convicted, they should face" he offered. Neither Suyin or Korra were comfortable with this arrangement, but Tenzin, stepping into the office declared it "fine".

"Very well then" Raiko replied, escorting his guests from his room, leaving Tenzin at the mercy of Korra and Suyin. "What were you thinking?!" Suyin exclaimed, her motherly instincts in full display as she nearly threw Tenzin across the hallway. Even though she wholeheartedly agreed with Suyin's views, Korra had to rein in her personal feelings and act as a mediator between the two.

"Let's calm down here" Korra directed at Suyin, before turning to Tenzin "even if we are now dealing with a terrible situation". "The first thing to do is warn Bolin, Varrick and Zhu Li about what's going to happen" she decided. "Tenzin- you do that before I let Suyin pummel you to the ground" she instructed, leaving her mentor to glide out of a window to inform the soon to be detainees of their impending fates.

Left alone with Korra, Suyin started to tear up. "I can't believe he's going to prison" she whimpered, fearing that the trial would only confirm the sentence everyone wanted bestowed on her son. Korra too grew uncomfortable as she wondered if the same fate awaited Bolin. Even if she was unsure of whether Baatar should be punished, she definitely wanted her friend out of prison.

"At least he's repentant for what he did" Korra awkwardly quipped, unsure of what to say. "I can't believe I disowned them. He was my son- and I was the closest thing she had to a mother" Suyin continued, partially blaming herself for the problems of the past three years.

"As the avatar I've learnt that maintaining balance in every way possible is the best course of action" Korra said, hoping her words at least contained some wisdom. "Forgiveness is needed to achieve balance- you've forgiven Baatar, and you need to forgive yourself". Korra was unsure of whether Suyin should be ready to forgive Kuvira, so she left her out of the equation.

"You should know that forgiveness is something my family should improve on" Suyin muttered, trying to make some humour from a dire situation. "Well three years is better than thirty" Korra replied, and even with the impending disaster they'd have to face, both women couldn't help smiling at the expense of Lin Beifong.


	5. Silently Suffering for Success

Buttercup Raiko applied a final layer of lipstick before deciding she looked presentable. With election season just around the corner, every public appearance counted, even if it wasn't with her husband. And to be honest, appearing without him was probably the best strategy to get voters on their side.

While she could commend her husband's drive to execute Kuvira, she was less sure about doing the same with a member of the Beifong family. And as for the rest of the former inner circle- what was her husband thinking? The press were downright vilifying him after pictures of Bolin being arrested were released.

But anyway, a mistake could only be corrected, not erased from existence, and thankfully this meeting of hers would help with damage control. This interview could be used to help reassure the city that they could count on her husband. At least, that was the goal.

Noting that it would look better to be seen as being among the common folk, the first lady decided to walk the relatively short distance from the presidential residence to the rebuilt Southern Water Tribe Cultural Centre. To show her full appreciation for those of water tribe origin, she had done her hair in traditional water tribe "loopies".

The walk to the centre was longer than anticipated, but at least it provided a decent form of exercise. And the people at the centre were surprisingly receptive to her. After a tour of the centre where she was shown statues and possessions of the legendary Sokka and Katara, as well as general relics from the Southern Water Tribe, she was sat down to a brunch of sea prunes. Buttercup tried her hardest to not immediately vomit the contents into her purse.

But the purpose of this visit wasn't to appreciate the culture of the Southern Water Tribe- but rather to sit down with one of the city's most popular journalists- Shiro Shinobi. Their interview would be broadcast across Republic City's radio.

"First Lady Buttercup, firstly, how do you do?" Shiro began, setting up the interview with his usual friendly tone. "I'm fine" the first lady replied, and then the interview began proper. After questions on the First Lady's involvement with several children's charities, Shiro turned to the subject of her husband.

"With all due respect First Lady, your husband isn't the most loved man in Republic City right now, especially in the wake of his decision to detain one of the most loved figures in the city, Bolin. How do you feel about the criticism aimed at your husband?" Shiro inquired. Buttercup took a few seconds to fully compose her thoughts before answering the question.

"As a wife, I am obviously hurt by the slander hurled at my beloved husband. However, Republic City is a democratic place, and free speech devoid of hate and malice should be allowed to be expressed, even if it does politely or not so politely criticise my husband's actions.

However, my own objective views on the matters are that my husband has done immense good for Republic City in his years in office, both before and after becoming President. Thus, I find it perplexing that he is being hounded for his recent slew of decisions, especially since his attackers don't have the full perspective on why he chose to arrest the entirety of the Earth Empire's former inner circle." Buttercup answered, hoping that her answer cast her husband in a more positive light.

The interview continued with similar questions that Buttercup more or less answered on autopilot. Until Shiro's last question, which Buttercup was not prepared for at all. "First Lady Buttercup, one charity you've set up- the Orphan's Trust- has blossomed into a NGO that currently has helped over 700 orphans find new families. What persuaded you to embark on this cause since last year?"

She had always tried to repress those memories…but now they were re-emerging…. Buttercup was telling herself to hold it together, that was she did was necessary and helped her climb to where she was now. So with fierce determination, the First Lady delivered a calm, if somewhat stale, answer to Shiro's question, cursing the reporter internally.

"I was just alarmed to find out how many orphans the city had, and felt something needed to be done" she replied, relieved that she hadn't betrayed her true sentiments. "Well that wraps up our interview with the First Lady. Tune in tomorrow when we'll go to Bolin's former fiancée, Chieftess Eska of the Northern Water Tribe, for an insider scope on Kuvira's impeding trial" Shiro finished, at which point Buttercup headed for the nearest bathroom.

Locking herself in a stall, she allowed her supressed tears to flow. If she wanted to feel better, she could tell herself that what she did allowed her to move to Republic City, allowed her to meet Raiko, allowed her to become First Lady. But she didn't want to think about the benefits that had come from it. She just wanted to grieve.

And grieve she did, letting her makeup run and using yards of tissues to wipe her face. People always said that crying was therapeutic, and while she wasn't one to blindly trust public opinion, she did feel better for it. That was, until a cleaner started knocking on the stall's door.

"Yes?" snivelled Buttercup, wondering why someone saw it fit to be so brash about wanting her to exit the toilet. They probably didn't know who she was.

"Mrs First Lady, are you alright?" the cleaner asked. "You've been in there for about an hour now" he continued, and this took Buttercup by surprise. Was she in the stall for that long. If that was the case, she'd better get out. So, after finding a way to discreetly hide her face from anyone who could see her, she promptly left the stall.

After a lengthy face wash, Buttercup Raiko left the centre, radiant and smiling. No one would've ever guessed what she had just went through.


	6. The First Interrogation

"Difficult?! It's downright preposterous I tell you! Of all the genuine crimes I've committed, knowingly aiding a megalomaniac was not one of them!" Varrick cried, heavily indignant at the way himself, his wife and business partner (Bolin was shooting the first scene of Varrick's new mover when both were arrested by Raiko's personal guards).

For the last three hours they had been detained in a single cell- and not the custom built one Varrick had built for himself. No, this time he was experiencing prison like the common one. And he was wondering how thugs managed to survive in squalid conditions like this for years on end- unless their stolen money had bought them decent cells like him…

"Okay, it is downright preposterous, but don't worry, I can guarantee a quick release for all of you" Mako soothed, not wanting to escalate the madness of their current situation. "No offense, Mako- but just because you're now a detective, doesn't mean you can get people charged with war crimes out of jail" Zhu Li pointed out, taking their predicament better than her husband or Bolin (who was now shaking in the corner).

"But Raiko will. His whole idea about executing Kuvira after a grand trial is nothing more than an election ploy to win votes- once he sees how unpopular he is for imprisoning you three, he'll have you promptly released" Asami explained, offering her view on what would likely happen. While she could see Kuvira and Baatar jr. being harshly punished, she failed to see how convicting Republic City heroes and allies of the Avatar would result in anything less than a bloody street riot.

"Don't you see bro, you'll be released soon!" Mako said, trying to comfort his brother through the bars of the cell. But Bolin remained unmoved, retreating further into his own space. Tears ran down his cheeks as he sniffled- was he this worried about being imprisoned? Even when held captive by murderous anarchists three years ago, Bolin had managed to remain relatively cheerful. Why had this instance caused him so much pain?

"All those people, all the lives she ruined….and we helped her…." Bolin muttered, clearly disturbed by his involvement with the Earth Empire. "Raiko was right" he continued, "we really do deserve to be here- we helped here enslave all those villages". At this point, Mako was unsure of what to say to help his brother- he couldn't exactly say he knew what his brother was going through.

Asami however felt that she should give her opinion that she felt could help her friend. She was going to say that Kuvira started off with genuinely good intentions, but it was power and her abandonment issues that caused her to slip up morally. The three of them left her before she truly went mental. But just as she was going to speak the first word, the nightmarish vision came back to her.

The mecha suit, her father being crushed to death, his corpse little more than a loosely unified splatter of blood and bones…Asami was left speechless. She couldn't. She couldn't say anything even vaguely positive about the monster who rendered her parentless. It would be an insult the memory of her father and an affront to basic human decency. So she remained silent and turned away from Bolin, finding that her anger at Kuvira was being directed at her former follower unintentionally as well. Asami had to remind herself that Bolin had no idea of the monster that Kuvira was.

A silence persisted as no one thought of anything remotely constructive to say, instead choosing to hope that the situation would sort itself out. However, noise re emerged when a man clad in the robes of the Fire Nation marched towards them. "All rise for the Fire Lord" he proclaimed monotonously.

The instruction was so sudden that all five of them felt compelled to obey it without question. Fire Lord Izumi held universal respect amongst the world's denizens. In lineage her claims to glory were unprecedented. Not only was the among the dynasty of the Fire Lords, but her father was Lord Zuko, a man who transformed the world. Her son was a respected general. Among her great-great grandfathers was an Avatar, and she, like many of her family, was the firebender that Mako could only wish to be in his wildest dreams. But Izumi had gained admiration through not only her blood, but through her individual merit as well.

With her father, she had transformed the image of the Fire Nation from a bloodthirsty empire into a country renowned for progress and innovation- many of its skyscrapers could rival the tallest ones found in Republic City. The Fire Nation was now a democratic society- she ruled by the people's consent and unlike other leaders, made decisions that benefitted her people before her own power. And she was lauded unanimously as a woman of high character.

Which made her presence in a Republic City Prison (even a somewhat elite one reserved for major criminals) a mystery. What was she doing here? Even stranger was her outfit. The robes that marked her rank were nowhere to be seen- instead she was wearing a beige shirt and ember skirt. She held in her hands not a sceptre but a notebook.

Her face had a wry expression and she announced her first instruction "Please remain seated"- and her audience of five was once again compelled to obey. "So, may I have your names?" she asked, kneeling down to the prisoners. "Sir Ihnik Blackstone Varrick, Zhu Li Moon and Bolin…Bolin?" Varrick answered- unsure of Bolin's surname, or if he even had one.

"With all due respect your excellency, what are you doing here?" Asami asked, who voiced the question in everyone's head. "It fell on me to be the judge of Kuvira's trial, through the process of elimination- apparently of all world leaders, I'm the one lacking any bias in how I perceived her crimes. So to prepare, I felt it necessary to get some information from people who worked with her closely" Izumi explained, adjusting her golden glasses.

At this point Varrick sat up, trying to look meticulous before the woman who could doom him to life imprisonment. "Right then, shall we begin with the questioning proper?" Izumi quipped, as Zhu Li began her narrative on what it was like working for and against Kuvira. While both the men also delivered interesting and ghastly takes on their time in the Earth Empire, Izumi was most fascinated by Zhu Li's time as a mole, and found herself impressed by the woman's courage when discovered.

Analysing what she had been told, and determining that it seemed to be most likely true, Izumi left with far less pomp than she had arrived with, determined to meet with Raiko to make sure that the three prisoners were released immediately. However, that would have to be done later, as Izumi had another prisoner to visit: Kuvira.


	7. Mulling Over the Meaningless

Kuvira inspected her foot again, checking to see if more splinters had managed to bury themselves in her skin. Since she was a metalbender, Raiko saw it fit to keep her in a wooden cell where a prison break would be impossible to achieve. Not that Kuvira wanted to escape.

When Izumi had interrogated her, she asked if Kuvira wanted anything. Kuvira was tempted to ask the Fire Lord to burn down her cell after strapping her to the floor. To say she was suicidal was something of an understatement. She had been starving herself since being imprisoned, and was hoping that her impending trial would sentence her to a hanging.

Korra had sugar coated her actions whilst they were in the Spirit World. Kuvira herself knew that she had been nothing short of monstrous as her crusade devolved from upholding stability to imposing tyranny. All she wanted now, her sense of dignity and honour stripped from her, was to end her life, by any means possible.

She had thought of cutting her hair and using it as a noose, but it wasn't like she was allowed anything sharp enough to use as a blade. As her bed lacked a pillow, she couldn't smother herself either. Besides, she was always under consistent supervision. While some guards slacked off, others were meticulous in observing her every step. Her opportunities for physically endangering herself therefore were reduced to none.

However, by being in isolation with no visitors until today, Kuvira was fully exposed to the horrors of what she had done, with nothing to distract her from thinking, thinking and thinking about her actions. And every time she did so, tears born of anger would dampen the floor, followed by ones of pure misery.

It had been three weeks since she was first brought into this cell, and she still hadn't heard from or of Baatar. She could only pray that he received amnesty for everything she had made him do. And she had made him do everything. She convinced him to leave his family, and shamelessly manipulated him to be her right hand man and mechanical genius.

To hope for his forgiveness would be downright delusional. Not only was he presumably still suffering from the physical wounds from the explosion, but she had broken his hearts and spilt vinegar on its remnants. To her, that was the closest metaphor she could imagine that captured what could only be called the atrocity of her actions.

Thinking about it made her wish that tears were acidic so that her skin could at least be burnt whenever she thought about it. If only she could cry vinegar… it took Kuvira a few seconds to recognise her disturbing her thoughts sounded without proper context.

These thoughts, which had plagued her for the last few weeks, had been a novelty to her life when she was first imprisoned. Kuvira had always been carried through life by immense self belief, backed up by the praise of others and the admiration of strangers. Yes, the first few years of her life were rough, and the memories hurt, and it drove her to callous decisions, but prior to this period of intense self reflection she could always describe herself as a woman of esteem, pride and confidence. Not any more.

All these was making Kuvira rethink her sentiments on being executed. Death would end mortal pleasures, the sensations of fresh air, soft grass and chirping birds, the exhilaration of bending, the joy of dance, but it would end mortal pains as well. She would cease to suffer once the trap door fell. And that didn't seem like a fitting punishment, when scars she had clawed upon others would be painfully permanent.

Leaving her here, to serve out a sentence that would only end when her mournful heart gave its last beat, would ultimately be the harsher punishment. But to be left a lifetime to contemplate her actions would drive her insane. Which would be the ultimate form of torture, to witness her sanity slip away from here, growing less aware of the process as it continued.

Unless….there was a slim possibility. Admittedly it was a fleeting, overtly optimistic notion at best, but when not drowning in her self hatred, Kuvira was desperate to fiercely cling onto even a speck of positivity that made itself felt here. And this speck could possibly blossom into something a bit more.

Doubtless she would see the others when her trial began in full gusto. They were all being tried together. Much like the last sacrifice she had made (in vain), Kuvira knew the consequences would be permanent. But after deliberation, she felt the actual permanence of her decision would add a gravity to it, allowing her to experience something along the lines of the Great Iroh's enlightenment. Except hers would be more along the lines of a delayed and mostly meaningless repentance.

But that repentance would not completely lack meaning or weight. It would have an impact, possibly a positive one. Hopefully, Kuvira thought, smiling for the first time in what seemed an eternity. As the smile lit up her face and radiated an almost strange (but nostalgic) warmth through her body, Kuvira was happy that even here, after intense scavenging, that while her life may have any joy permanently ripped from it, at least it wasn't starving of meaning. Now, to let the meaning resonate when her trial occurred and allow herself to right a wrong she had committed.

Right a wrong. That was a phrase she had heard before. But she couldn't figure out who said it. It seemed a Suyin Beifong quote, but she could never remember her quasi-mother say it. Perhaps she invented it herself, and was simply so angry at herself that she failed to credit herself for anything of merit anymore.


	8. An Impossible Situation?

8% approval rating. That was all Raiko could process as he looked out of his window. Normally the view of the city in all its splendour would prove a reassuring sight, but the cloudy sky had blocked out sunlight, colouring the metropolis a dim amalgamation of dull beiges and lifeless greys. The bleakness dominating the landscape were a perfect compliment to his mental state.

Izumi's heated filibuster against him earlier in the afternoon had left him utterly devoid. Practically all his energy had gone to rebutting her, and the minimal amount left was now being used to sustain his body from collapsing. Raiko supposedly wanted votes- but right now all he wanted to do was sleep.

It was almost humorous to remember his idealism when first campaigning to be the city's first president. All his promises for change, innovation and improvement, it was borderline farcical. Within weeks, Raiko found it impossible to implement the most minor of social reforms, as it meant losing the support of his election donors. So his promises stagnated as his policy became guided by a dogged determination to keep his post.

And in some respects he had succeeded. The city was nearly destroyed by the literal embodiment of darkness itself as well as by a crazed dictator, but the people hadn't used it as a means to overthrow him. He hadn't been subject to assassinations or imprisonment like some of his contemporaries. But while the Earth Queen and Kuvira, reprehensible as their actions may have been, had managed to cultivate a devoted following at least amongst some, Raiko's constituents were nothing short of unanimous in their scathing disdain of him.

He knew that detaining the entirety of the inner circle would be a polarising decision, but he had expected at least some support from those devastated by the Earth Empire's invasion. Even the media, normally fairly neutral in stance, had unleashed the full force of their criticism against him, even going so far to question the point of having such a "mindless idiot in charge of Republic City", at least according to one newspaper.

It wasn't too late to nullify his candidacy in the election and allow the race to be won by one of his former cronies. Of course, that would incur the people labelling him an indecisive coward too afraid to stick to his convictions and commit to the job. And Buttercup's wrath would be another form of pain all in itself.

If it wasn't for the city's significant amount of socially conservative Northern Water Tribe diaspora who were adamant that a woman should not hold a position of power (even with the Avatar around and two female leaders in power) Buttercup Raiko would've tried to become the city's first president.

She certainly had the political know-how. Some of Raiko's more successful policies had been crafted not in his office but in his bedroom with his wife. Her effortless zest charmed the electorate and even as his approval ratings plummeted, she had still managed to retain most of her popularity. The interview with Shiro Shinobi was probably the only reason he hadn't been ousted from power yet.

But with all those glowing attributes came some flaws as well. Her natural charm could easily transform into biting abrasiveness if her husband frustrated her. She tended to see Raiko less as her lover and more as a business partner. In fact, Raiko always felt their marriage was more of a transaction as opposed to a romance. A successful transaction based on mutual respect and admiration for each other peppered with occasional problems and sprinkled with friendliness, but almost entirely absent of love.

Not that love was a sentiment Raiko was experiencing or receiving this past few weeks. Staring out below to the murky mirage of skyscrapers and roads below him reminded him of his growing apathy for life. If only his detractors could see him right now, they would be having the time of their lives.

Looking down upon the city proved predictably depressing, but within that depression Raiko found yet again politics interrupting his chain of borderline suicidal thoughts. Among the street dwellers he could observe one angry protestor was holding up a sign. Raiko couldn't make out what had been written on it but what was clear to make out was the unsettling illustration of him being locked in a cell, alongside other prisoners he could only assume were the rest of the inner circle.

It spoke volumes about Raiko's level of defeatism at this point that he couldn't find any spark of anger alight within himself. He felt no primeval urge to descend upon the protestor and angrily heckle him, rather he seemed almost indifferent. If he was hurt, he was doing such a good job of hiding it that even he wasn't sure of his true feelings.

But where fury normally would be instead was meditative thought. Should he release Bolin, Varrick and Zhu Li? It would appease Izumi as well as the masses, but doing so would also paint him as weak and indecisive, and it wasn't like he needed more reasons to be loathed by his own constituents. It seemed like a lose-lose situation.

Unless, he could manipulate events to his own advantage- pull off a gambit of his own. If he released the prisoners now, it would cement him as malleable and weak- but not if it were after a horrible calamity, when everyone would be too caught up in drama to properly assess motives and reasons for political decisions.

The idea taking form in Raiko's head, he cultivated it into a legitimate plan as he looked for the best opportunity to implement it. All of a sudden, what seemed like an event doomed for multiple different kinds of failures was starting to turn into one where all possible outcomes were positive. Smiling to himself in what seemed like the first time in forever, Raiko could already find himself counting down the days until the date he had chosen. No one could see this coming.


	9. Anger, and then Apologies

"Do you think Raiko will pardon them?" Asami asked her girlfriend, who was currently entertaining Naga. "I'm hoping so" Korra replied, throwing another stick Naga's way. She was aiming for a further distance so as to distract her polar bear dog for longer, allowing her some private time with Asami.

Not that romantic endeavours were really on their mind, given what was going on with the impending trial. It had been three days since Izumi first went to Raiko, but the president, even in the face of now universal loathing and approval ratings at 0.5%, wouldn't budge, despite visits from not only the Fire Lord but also her, Tenzin, the Beifong family and Lord Zuko himself.

Korra (with the help of air bending) was able to land the stick on the other side of Air Temple Island, thus leaving herself and Asami alone and able to focus on each other, without Naga's enthusiastic pants to distract them.

"We could always make sure they get a top notch lawyer" Asami quipped, wondering if the firm who represented her business interests had anyone noteworthy working in criminal law. "I don't think we'll be able to use a law firm- chances are one will be assigned to them" Korra explained, sort of revelling in the new sensation of being the more knowledgeable of the pair. Her enjoyment would've been intensified had it not been for the fact that her close friend was in jail.

"Well, with Izumi as the judge, at least it won't be a completely staged trial" Korra added. Much like the rest of the world, even the Avatar herself was in awe of the Fire Lord and her accomplishments. Installing her as the judge was probably the one thing Raiko had done right recently. If only he had listened to her, then this whole mess could be resolved.

"How do you suppose Kuvira will be executed?" Asami asked, to which Korra was taken aback. Execution? She knew that Raiko wanted Kuvira to face the gallows, but she was expecting (and hoping) that especially with Izumi as a judge that the woman would just receive life imprisonment. Asami's question proved deeply unsettling.

"Execution?!" Korra couldn't help but question back. In the nearly four years in which she had known Asami, she never pictured her thinking such a morbid thought. "Why would Kuvira be executed?" Korra continued, perplexed as to how her girlfriend came to such a disturbing conclusion.

"She's a monster" Asami muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Korra to hear. On the one hand, Asami's judgement had justification- no one was arguing that Kuvira go unpunished for her heinous crimes against the Earth Kingdom citizens and those of Republic City. But Asami hadn't been there, when the dictator revealed her well meaning, if misguided, intentions. Nor was she there when Korra could draw parallels between herself and Kuvira.

"That's not an entirely fair statement to make" Korra said with an uneasy smile, hoping to diffuse the growing sense of tension with something of a neutralising answer. Instead it only further provoked Asami.

"Entirely fair?! She brainwashed our friend who's now in jail because of her, burnt down villages, imprisoned countless of innocents whose lives she probably took, tried to murder her own fiancé, nearly destroyed the entire world with her super weapon and murdered my father in cold blood!" Asami exclaimed, now red with anger. Korra had only seen her this mad when she confronted Mr Sato nearly four years back. This was a different Asami to the one she knew.

"But still" Korra began, before Asami angrily cut her off. "If you want to defend a megalomaniacal fiend, be my guest!" she snapped, walking off. Korra was almost paralysed with shock at Asami's behaviour. If anyone else talked to her like that she would immediately counter them just as harshly, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for Asami. It wasn't a privilege she extended to romantic partners either- if Mako had done the same then Korra would've let him have it. But Asami's rage seemed somewhat understandable, especially, since Korra sensed, it originated from something much sadder.

In the meantime Naga had returned buoyant with a slobbery stick in her mouth. Realising that Asami was in no mood to talk right now, Korra spent some with her other girl. Even though she was getting undeniably older, the polar bear dog was still the little puppy she rescued from the snowy mountains of the South Pole fourteen years ago.

However, after an hour Asami still hadn't returned, and Naga seemed tired, leaving Korra to conclude that it was high time to search out her girlfriend. She was fearful that Asami's rage might've motivated her to do something recklessly destructive.

Thankfully that wasn't the case, as Asami was found inside her room, curled up on her bed against the wall. A few dozen tissues scattered on the floor and damp pillows indicated that she had been crying for some time. She still was, as evidenced by the smudged makeup on her face that still had tears running through it.

"Sorry about earlier" she apologised, her words slightly muffled by the sniffles. Korra said nothing as she knelt by her friend, clearly upset. "It's just my dad- I still miss him" Asami continued, barely able to rein in her tears. Tears became weeps as she burrowed her head in Korra's chest for emotional support.

Korra now understood Asami's earlier anger. Even if Kuvira had saved her father's life, she killed Mr Sato in front of his daughter. Losing a parent was a trauma she thankfully hadn't suffered yet, but when it happened, she wanted Asami to be there for her, like she was now for her.

As Asami cried into Korra's top, Korra whispered the words "thank you" to hear.

Thank you for being my anchor, Korra thought. Only now did she fully realise what Asami had done for her in these three years- because she was doing it now for her.


	10. A Crumbling Trial

Buttercup winced as she avoided the boos and slurs hurled at her husband as they walked briskly into the courthouse. It was downright embarrassing, the whole experience. They had been nearly assaulted by various protestors- a few of them even dressed as Nuktuk, who were fanatic in their love for Varrick, Zhu Li and especially Bolin. Why didn't her husband realise this and just pardon the three of them?

Thankfully Izumi would be a judge of reason, and this whole mess would be sorted with the inner circle's innocence being officially confirmed, leaving only Kuvira and Baatar to face punishment. No one was demanding their release, that was for sure. At least Raiko had got it right with his harsh treatment of the couple.

Once in the safety of the courthouse where the only attacks were menacing stares, she glanced at her husband. For some reason, he had chosen to sit amongst the ordinary audience, and not within the special courthouse box normally reserved for the President and other officials. When she first heard this, Buttercup nearly threw a fit- on top of being in the midst of people who hated her husband (and by extent, her) she would have to be physically uncomfortable sitting on the stiff rows of wood that would function poorly as seats. However, not wanting to give the detractors further ammunition, she kept her composure as she tried to make herself comfortable on her "seat".

Seated a few rows behind was Jinora, acting as her father's representative- Rohan was sick. She had mixed feelings over the trial. Like everyone else, she was furious when she heard about her friends' (and Varrick's) arrest, and it was only her adherence to the pacifist philosophy of the Air Nation that prevented her from manifesting her anger against Raiko in full force, but she was smart enough to know that with a judge like Izumi that the three of them would definitely be released.

What would be interesting to see unfold was how severe the punishment for Kuvira and Baatar would be. Obviously the trial would be conducted over several days, and she suspected that today's agenda would be nothing more than admin. Thankfully, Ikki and Meelo weren't here, or they'd already be complaining. They were helping out in the Earth Kingdom outskirts, with Kai and the other airbenders. Of course, Tenzin, being her father, had tasked her with duties here.

Jinora had sat herself next to Korra. Both held each others' hands for emotional support. Even though they were both fairly sure of their friends being released after the trial, they braced themselves for when Lin would emerge with the five prisoners out of the left door. Both Mako and Asami were at the end of the row, heads buried in hands. Neither, either out of intense love or vengeful hate, could bring themselves to look at the prisoners.

As the pre trial chatter died down, Izumi ascended to her platform. Even though she had tried to come to the trial with an open mind, she already had a verdict she planned to deliver. It would take the most talented prosecutor to convince her (for political trials there were no juries) to deliver a guilty sentence against the entire inner circle. Kuvira would get a life term, and her fiancé five years. She had already decided on that.

After opening statements by both sides, a clang was heard. Mako looked up, knowing full well what it meant. The clang was followed by the sound of footsteps shuffling reluctantly. It was the prisoners, being escorted by Lin Beifong. All of them wore downcast glances, with Bolin's worried eyes and Kuvira's tears being especially notable. Mako too felt tears surging within him as he tried to support his brother with a reassuring smile. Such a task was impossible to achieve.

"Let the prosecution begin their opening argument" Izumi announced. A deafening diatribe then began, as the prosecuting lawyer angrily attacked the entirety of the Earth Empire. His performance was something akin to a pantomime, and in a different scenario such an over the top act would evoke laughter. However, as potentially comedic the lawyer was, his words evoked nothing but sheer horror.

Assisted with rudimentary video footage (ironically only presentable with technology bought from Varrick) that showed villagers stripped of their freedom and their lives if they dared to rebel. Mass executions were displayed for the entire courthouse to see, intercut with the destruction of the swamp in order to facilitate the building of the spirit weapon.

Jinora found herself nearly sick while being bombarded with the absolute terror of what she was witnessing. Children younger than Rohan had fallen victim to Kuvira's regime. Entire settlements had been laid to waste, such as the stripping of metal in Zaofu, but arguably far worse occurrences were shown as well. Did her friend Bolin, did he, actually have a part in such bloodshed? She hoped adamantly not.

Jinora's feelings were shared throughout the courthouse, which made Raiko smile to himself. The graphic, impassioned speech made by the prosecution churned everyone's stomach, and a few horrified glances were directed towards the prisoners, as if to ask if the people before them could be guilty of such heinous crimes. Surely the movement to have the trio freed was dying every second as new details of Kuvira's rule were revealed.

Like everyone else in the room, Lin found herself sick to the core as she tried to focus on things other than what the prosecution was drilling into her. As it turned out, there was something else to focus on. For some reason, it was…earth.

Unlike her mother, Lin didn't exclusively sense through the earth. Not being blind, she mainly saw with her eyes, so her earth sense naturally wasn't as well developed as her mother's. So it was somewhat startling that she was sensing so much right now, especially as she wasn't especially focusing on channelling her vision through the ground.

And then she got it. The building was slowly crumbling. Lin's face immediately went white with terror. They had to get out. She didn't know what was causing the crumbling, but it was definitely occurring, and everyone needed to get out. Now.


	11. Chaos in the Courthouse

"Stop the trial!" Lin screamed. All heads turned to her as the trial was suddenly adjourned right in the middle of a testimony. Even Kuvira, who had been fighting the urge to abandon her plan to spare her fellow prisoners and the anguish that came with it, was now focused on the seemingly madwoman who was frantically waving her hands for no apparent reason.

"For what?!" Izumi exclaimed, angry that the process had come to such an abrupt halt, but curious to know why Lin had acted as she did. She had known the Chief of Police to be a calm, unsentimental woman, so what possessed her to behave in such a panicked and disruptive way?

"The building…it's…crumbling!" Lin explained, her answer as fragmented as the foundation of the courthouse. A collective response of "what?" and "has Lin gone crazy?" was heard across the entire audience of the trial. Shouts of "prove it!" and "shut up!" were directed to the elder of the Beifong siblings, who a few people thought was finally acting like her mother. It was a Toph thing to do, interrupting a whole trial just to satisfy a whim.

"Wait…she may have a point here" Kuvira announced, having tapped into her Earth sense as well. It didn't look as disastrous as Lin was making it sound, but there was solid ground for her fears. However, it would be a good idea to evacuate the premises.

"You just want to get off without a punishment!" one angry firebender accused the former dictator. This started a whole other row within the courthouse, adding to the manic tone put in place by Lin. Very soon the entire courthouse was in chaos, as people were indecisive on whether or not to believe Lin and Kuvira, leading to several fights erupting.

Korra tried to mediate some of the conflict, but found herself powerless to the general build up of paranoia, which she only ended up fanning the flames of. Izumi started pounding her gavel in the hope that it would get some attention, but the bangs barely registered amidst the madness.

At this point, Jinora started worrying that if the courthouse was going to break down, then the panic building up would only accelerate such an occurrence. She was also fed up by anyone's lack of willingness to pursue a rational course of action. So she glided up to the top floor of the courthouse, where a brass gong was collecting dust. With a massive blast of air, she struck it deafeningly hard.

"Be quiet!" she screamed, her voice trembling with the rage she usually reserved for Ikki and Meelo. The combined sound and her exclamation managed to quieten the people downstairs, who were now staring at her, their panic (at least) temporarily replaced by confusion. Jinora realised that perhaps listening to a fourteen year old on paper wasn't the smartest thing to do in a time of crisis. But then again, nothing about these people's behaviour had been smart. So Jinora found herself an audience, and thus she set on improvising an escape plan.

"First thing first, we need to establish exactly how dire the situation is. Every earthbender here, try to sense how fragile the building is right now" she commanded. A few focused seconds sprouted the general consensus that they had between 20 to 30 minutes. At this point the hysteria resumed. Jinora felt tempted to blast the gong again, but Izumi beat her to being the one who restored order.

"Listen" she began. Her presence carried a natural sense of authority- one of the few good genes she had received from her paternal grandfather. Her firm, yet calm demeanour, worked better than Jinora's uncharacteristic rage or Korra's natural impulsiveness when it came to combatting the fear permeating through the room.

"We need to remain calm here" she continued. "20 minutes admittedly isn't the best amount of time needed for an evacuation- but you've had practice, and one courthouse is far less work than an entire city, so I have good faith we'll all make it out of here unscathed. That's if we proceed in an orderly fashion. Now, who here's an earthbender?" she asked. A number of hands went up in the air.

"Okay, that's good. Try to buy us more time in any way you can" Izumi directed. She delivered her order so eloquently that the earthbenders had no problem staying behind while other citizens had a stronger chance of survival. They were also accepting of the order due to Korra volunteering to help with keeping the building from collapsing.

"Everyone else, the courthouse currently has three usable exits. File out the nearest one to you, and once outside, get away as quickly as possible" Izumi continued, addressing everyone else. They were less diligent; most of them started darting out like headless chickens, and as a result soon all three doors were pounded by masses of human traffic. Ten minutes later only around 50 people had got out- leaving 90% of the population at an increased risk from perishing.

The instability of the courthouse was starting to make itself felt not only to the earthbenders, but to everyone else at this point, adding to the frenzied atmosphere. With every passing second, only a few lucky escapees managed to slip through the gaps. Then, the first fragments of stone started descending, and Jinora being the only airbender present, had to task herself with making sure they were diverted.

While trying to save the lives of people she had tried to kill recently, Kuvira sighed. It was no use. They would all surely die in the next few minutes, crushed to bits by a falling building. It was as if her sentence had arrived earlier than expected, only she would be facing her doom not isolated in the gallows, but in the heart of Republic City with tons of innocents. Unless…

"Everyone get to the left!" Kuvira yelled. Much like Izumi, her voice carried a tone of power ingrained so deeply into it that the fearful and impressionable crowd cared not about how she was a jailed dictator as they obeyed her. What happened next proved that their decision to act as they did ultimately paid off.

A powerful blast suddenly brought down the courthouse down, the former grandeur of the imposing structure now reduced to rubble…in front of them. Everyone was safe! They were all outside! They had survived! People were elated and shocked, their amazement having muted them.

Korra surveyed the surroundings, looking to see if anyone was seriously hurt. No one was. In fact, after the shock died down, most people rushed into heartfelt embraces with complete strangers. Mako and Bolin took the opportunity to give each other the longest hug of both of their lives as they made up for lost time between them.

Korra smiled, but her relief was momentary as she realised something; amidst the destruction was Kuvira. And she was most likely dead.


	12. Getting Back Together

Korra desperately tried earthbending the rubble aside, but there was too much for her to move on her own. No one else had realised that Kuvira was buried underneath the remnants of the courthouse, or they just didn't care. Not that Korra could completely blame them, but she valued Kuvira's life, even if others didn't.

Whilst Korra was trying to save Kuvira's life, Izumi had managed to quieten down the masses. "We need to remain calm, everyone stay here so we can make sure no one has been left behind in the rubble" she ordered, and much like before, the people readily obeyed her. So they huddled together for support. Even though they had survived what seemed almost inevitable deaths, they were now traumatised, some more than others, as they tried to forget the hectic minutes spent under the roof of the crumbling courthouse.

Even though she was wholly focused on earthbending, Korra still managed to hear Izumi's words, and seized an opportunity to rally more earthbenders. "Someone's still trapped down there! I saw them!" she cried, not disclosing exactly who was trapped, thinking that it would deter potential helpers from volunteering.

Immediately afterwards earthbenders and others rushed to her side and got to work- whether it be through hurling bricks aside to simply lifting them off the ground, everyone, even world leaders like President Raiko and the Fire Lord contributed some muscle to the task. While this was happening Jinora hovered above, trying to see which unlucky person had been trapped. Everyone seemed to be safe, except for… Oh.

Jinora debated whether or not telling the crowd below the identity of the missing victim. In any other case it would be not only the right but also smart thing to do, but here she felt that encouraging people to rescue a totalitarian dictator would be an impossible thing to do. So she kept mum, while reassuring concerned individuals that their loved ones were safe from above.

Eventually Asami spotted a hand, barely moving and bruised. "I've found them!" she called, at which point several people rushed to her side, as they pulled Kuvira out of the rubble. No one said anything about having to rescue her- if anything, the wounds adorning her face as she limped along, barely responsive to anyone, made them feel sorry for her.

Kuvira's rescue had incited another commotion amongst the crowd. Was she going to survive her injuries? How long would it take to for her to recover? Would her sentencing be delayed? These were just a few of the questions on people's minds as they surrounded the woman, who was slipping in and out of consciousness.

Meanwhile, Raiko tried to subside the noise of his constituents as he made an announcement. "Owing to the tragic calamity which occurred today, I see it fit to delay the trial until further notice. For the time being, I think it will be fine to have the defendants allowed home until the trial recommences" he stated. Buttercup smiled. Some good had come out of this disaster. At least now her husband's approval ratings may now exceed the single digits, she thought.

It was apparent now that Kuvira needed serious medical attention, and an ambulance was promptly called to escort her to the hospital. Apart from medical personnel, no one accompanied her. Gradually, the crowd started to die down as they went back home, leaving only "The Glorious Avatar, The Great Bolin, and their sidekicks"- at least, that was the term being employed in Varrick's new mover for them.

"So I guess we're free, right?" Bolin asked. "I guess so" Mako said, before realising what he just said. After he did, both brothers exchanged another hug, again somewhat overwhelmed with emotion. No one else interfered, feeling it a moment best shared between the two of them. None of them knew how to feel.

On the one hand, Bolin, Varrick and Zhu Li were now more or less free, and they all managed to survived the destruction. On the other hand, they had all nearly died, and there was an uncertainty looming over them, as they didn't know what was going to happen now. Obviously an investigation needed to be carried out into the incident, and Korra suspected that she would play a fairly large part in that. A silence continued as the group tried to figure out exactly what the next few weeks and possibly months of their lives would entail.

"So, pals, who's up for celebrating our release on Air Temple Island?!" Varrick eventually enthused. "I can guarantee you that won't be a good idea" Jinora replied, noting her sick brother. Besides, she didn't think her father would appreciate Varrick inviting himself over to the temple.

At Bolin's insistence they went to Asami's mansion. Most of Mako and Bolin's family had come to the trial, but Grandma Yin had refused to go, too heartbroken to see her grandson labelled a criminal. Hence her squeals of joy when she saw him enter the house a free man.

While Bolin was happy to reunite with his family, the rest of them (save for Mako) felt slightly overwhelmed by just how huge the group was- Varrick in particular was surprised at how many relatives one could still be in touch with. It was like the Beifongs x 10. Asami and Korra both shuffled their feet uncomfortably when Grandma Yin started once again berated Mako for not dating either of them. Both decided it wouldn't be wise to come out to her. Whilst most people had been accepting of their sexuality and relationship, but they thought Grandma Yin probably would be at best frosty to the concept. She was an old fashioned woman in that way.

Eventually Grandma Yin got too overbearing even for Bolin, so armed with Pabu in his grasp, he and the rest of the group left the mansion for a newly built restaurant overlooking the pier to celebrate. After their meal, Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami separated themselves from the rest of the group as they took the time to reminisce about old times past.

It felt like an eternity since the four of them had properly interacted with each other. Since the three years, there had been Kuvira's attack, and since then its ramifications had dominated their lives. Sure there were two weeks of tranquillity within it all, but Korra and Asami weren't even traceable during that time except via portal.

So thank goodness for these moments, which allowed them to truly catch up on what they'd missed. Familiar jokes were told as the quartet interacted, not out of necessity or to save anyone's life, but just because that was what friends did with each other. And even if a lot had happened between them, they would always be friends.


	13. Waiting for the Worst?

"She's gone unresponsive again! We can't rely on waterbending anymore, we need to rush her to surgery!" a doctor exclaimed, as she and two nurses pulled Kuvira's stretcher to an operating room. The woman had been going in and out of a coma for a few hours now, and her chances of survival were looking slimmer every second.

Once an operating room had been found, Kuvira was anaesthetised immediately. Her surgeons predicted it would take half a day for them to fully rectify any crushed organs, so she would need all the luck and support she could get. Or in case, double the luck to compensate for the lack of support.

Except Kuvira wasn't alone in her struggle. Suyin had tagged along for the whole journey to the hospital, by her side all throughout. Kuvira hadn't registered her presence even while conscious, but Suyin was unwavering in her determination to stick by her former protégée's side. In part because she knew she would be the only person doing so.

Not even Baatar was here. Not that he had any obligation to- after all he was under house arrest until the trial resumed- and if he wasn't ready to support his ex-fiancée who had tried to kill him, Suyin couldn't blame him. She was just surprised that he had moved on so quickly. Happy, but just surprised.

So Suyin waited alone. An hourly update was sent her way as the surgery progressed. Kuvira's lungs were still weak, but the other organs were fine after a few stitches. The surgery would still take half a day, so Suyin was told she'd better go somewhere else, but even the reassurance of a call when the operation would finish didn't deter her from staying in the hospital. She wanted to be there when Kuvira woke up.

Had she been unfair to Kuvira? Not about the most recent incidents, but the three years. Then Kuvira was still genuinely doing what she promised, repairing the fractured Earth Kingdom. Her style of doing things seemed too militaristic and orthodox for Suyin's liking, but it worked. She had actually helped people back then.

But then the power went to her head. Suyin thought so- it seemed the only reason as to why such a good woman would become a dictator almost seemingly overnight. That was the reason Suyin denied the offer to govern after the Queen's death. Being in charge of Zaofu was alright, but of one of the four original nations? That would've made her a megalomaniac as well.

She would've resumed her old, criminal ways- if she had accepted the post offered to her. That was why she refused the offer. Not because she feared the responsibility that came with such a position, not because of what she'd have to sacrifice, but because of what she could've become. And Kuvira had become that, or at least, a version of that.

And then Suyin started crying. It was her fault. If she had just fought harder to keep Kuvira with her, not abandoned her, or at least accompanied her and kept her in check, none of this mess would've occurred. Her son would still have a fiancée, Kuvira would still be a good woman, and their family would still be happy. The chaos of everything could've been avoided, if she had just approached things differently. She should've been on trial, not them.

"It's okay" she heard a familiar voice whisper into her ear, as a warm hug embraced her. She looked up to see Baatar, her son, hugging her with a smile. As glad as she was to see him, she was now terribly confused. How was he here? Wasn't he under house arrest?

Suyin voiced these questions to her son, but he casually dismissed them, pointing to a guard stationed five feet away from them. Suyin breathed a sigh of relief. As it turned out, Baatar's house arrest was less of a house arrest and more like an extra strict probation. Unlike the other three, Izumi and Raiko hadn't been so kind as to allow him to go off scot free until the trial, in part because the citizens of Republic City wanted to see him punished, so he was under a form of house arrest. He said that the same thing would most likely happen to Kuvira once she recovered.

"Why are you here?" Suyin eventually asked. She hoped her son hadn't rekindled an affection for Kuvira. Even if Suyin was starting to forgive Kuvira, she hoped her son wasn't. While Suyin could trace her problems with her former daughter in law to be at least in part to herself, Kuvira had manipulated Baatar shamelessly, and she then tried to kill him. If her son tried to kill her, Suyin would totally understand.

"To be with you" Baatar said, with a small smile. Suyin smiled back, as the two caught up on some missed mother and son bonding. It was somewhat fun, as they conversed about various insignificant matters to distract them from the general atmosphere of panic in the hospital. They talked about Huan's latest attempted artistic endeavours to construct collages out of bronze to symbolise the "harmonious discord" of the eventual deconstruction of the Earth Kingdom.

"When will the surgery finish?" Baatar asked. "I guess in several hours" Suyin answered, hoping that Baatar would leave before that. She wanted him here, but she knew that him being at home would be better for him than waiting for the woman who tried to kill him to recover from surgery.

"She's sort of a hero now" Baatar remarked. Suyin thought on that statement. Kuvira had just nearly sacrificed her life to save a whole group of people, many of whom only hated her. In that way she was a hero. But it took more than just a few good deeds to establish oneself as a hero after they did what Kuvira had been doing.

Nevertheless Suyin answered her son with a "I guess so". The conversation between them stagnated for a while until Baatar informed his mother that he was leaving. Suyin saw him off and returned to her seat, continuing her wait, now alone again.

But not for long. A figure sat down a few feet away from her. It was a middle aged woman, who looked uneasy and somewhat sick. Suyin felt like offering help but something about the woman's demeanour told her that she didn't want to acknowledged. So Suyin set herself on just figuring out who the stranger was.

She got up from her seat and pretended to go to the bathroom, to get a better perspective. She got one. Within a few minutes she had managed to figure out who the stranger was. Buttercup Raiko?! What was she doing here?!


	14. Rebuilding Bridges Burnt

"She's waking up" a nurse announced, as the patient started blinking. Kuvira's vision was blurry. Where was she? What had happened? Who were these people? Unanswered questions went buzzing off in her mind as she tried to piece together exactly what had occurred on her own. After the initial frenzy, she composed herself, and tried to remember. The memories came back one at a time.

She remembered her sacrifice, how she nearly killed herself to ensure everyone else's safety in the courthouse. Even if it didn't kill her, she must have been gravely injured, considering she was now in a hospital, her wooziness being a good indicator that she had just come off of surgery. She hoped no one else had been injured.

"How are you feeling?" the doctor asked, his voice a detached monotone as he couldn't bring himself to feel empathy for the patient he was obliged to save. "Fine" Kuvira muttered, still trying to fix her hazy memory. The nurse was more sympathetic, as she offered food and water. Even though Kuvira wasn't feeling hungry, she didn't decline the offer, guessing it would possibly be one of the last gestures of hospitality she would get to experience.

A bowl of vegetable soup and smoked butterfly trout was delivered, along with fresh water. Having been on a diet of prison gruel and stale "water" for some time now, Kuvira had to restrain herself from gulping down the meal in one go. It was delicious. Delicious enough to temporarily distract from everything going on around her.

However, once the last sip of soup was had, Kuvira had to return to the situation at hand. She wouldn't be taken back immediately- they would let her recover in the hospital, which could be up to a few weeks possibly. Once she was well enough, she would probably be re-arrested and put on trial again. What would be different was the sentence. Kuvira's instinct told her she wouldn't be executed: just handed a life imprisonment verdict. Not that it mattered.

When she got herself crushed by the rubble, her life didn't matter. It hadn't mattered for some time now. It had originally been her plan to speak out at the trial, to ask Izumi to acquit the others and only punish her. Of course that hadn't been possible, so Kuvira performed another sacrifice in its place. And hopefully, it had meaningful consequences.

By now the medical staff had left, leaving her alone. Kuvira figured that she wouldn't be getting any visitors. Painful recollections of burned bridges came flooding back. "You're going to answer for everything you've done" she remembered Suyin saying coldly. It was the last time that she had ever talked to Kuvira. The worst part of it was that Kuvira still felt Suyin had every right to treat her that way.

Kuvira had initially intended to reflect and remember what had happened, but that would mean reliving all of what she had done to the people she had supposedly loved. So she eyed the room for a suitable distraction. She found one in the form of a random lump of iron. Kuvira didn't question its presence in the room as she eagerly drew it near her and started bending.

It was difficult sitting upright, but not impossible, so Kuvira did so in order to maximise her bending potential. She focused intently before letting her imagination run free and started creating all sorts of shapes from the single lump. Perhaps she could make a gift. She didn't who would accept a gift from her, but at least the project itself would give her something to focus on while she spent potentially weeks in the hospital.

Iron lacked the allure of gold and silver, but it was a practical metal if nothing else. So her gift would be practical. As she created a spiral, Kuvira experienced an almost childish joy. She didn't know when she had last bended for the fun of it. Not to destroy anything. Not to conquer anything. Just because she felt like it. Or to help someone else.

It was meditative, crafting the jewellery stand, a tall spiralling structure adorned with little hooks. With a little polishing, it could look lovely, Kuvira thought. Now only for someone to give it too… Korra perhaps? She wasn't sure how the Avatar felt about her, but she guessed it would be more positive than what the Beifongs thought of her.

"Can I go in?" she heard, the door of the room doing little to muffle the sound of outsiders. Kuvira listened intently to figure out who was speaking- it was Suyin. Suyin?! Why was she here?! Even though she hated her, Suyin was never one to goad her enemies, even when said enemies like herself were at their weakest. It was something she had always admired about her former mentor.

"Of course ma'am" a nurse replied, and Kuvira braced herself. The seconds that followed in which the door opened passed like hours. Kuvira froze up as Suyin approached the bed. She had no idea of what to expect. For all she knew, Suyin could simply be here on Izumi and Raiko's orders to re-arrest her.

However none of that seemed the case as Suyin sat down next to Kuvira's bed, smiling, her hands enveloping an offering of dumplings. Kuvira eyed the snack, but her earlier meal had filled her sufficiently, so she lay the new food aside as both women began an awkward conversation.

"Thank you for visiting me" Kuvira stated softly, unsure of what else to say. Suyin shuffled uncomfortably as she held her protégée's hand for support. The grasp seemed unnatural, even though both women had held hands a million times before. Those three years had changed everything.

"That was brave, what you did. I heard it from Baatar" Suyin said, wanting to give credit where credit was due. Kuvira's eyes lit up. Baatar had complimented her?! Why did he do that?! He could have labelled her actions as reckless, stupid, endangering anything but heroic, but he called them brave. Of course, saving people's lives when possibly compromising your own was brave when someone like Korra did it, out of altruism and duty, but the same couldn't be said for herself, who had acted out of instinct and guilt.

Still, she smiled. Just the thought, that for just even one second, her former fiancé, the one man she had never stopped loving, even when she tried to kill him, had managed to ignore what she did to say something nice about her, touched her greatly.

Suyin observed the expression on Kuvira's face. She was pleased to see her content again. After the drama of the Earth Empire had subsided, Suyin found herself feeling sorry for Kuvira. There was still anger, but it wasn't the only thing she felt when she saw her surrogate daughter. Right now, staring at Kuvira, who looked feeble in her hospital gown, what she felt most of all was pity.

It would take some time, if they ever could, for them to start rebuilding bridges. So after a prolonged silence, they found themselves talking about something less subjective: the courthouse. It didn't take an idiot to figure that it was the result of intentional destruction. But who caused it?

"I didn't do it- if you wanted to know" Kuvira stated, to which Suyin gave her a puzzled look. She had never suspected Kuvira. Or anyone she knew, for that matter. Even though someone had clearly done it, no clear motive for such an act came to her head. It must've just been some disenfranchised folks who wanted to imitate the anarchy of the Red Lotus, Suyin thought, as she returned to discussing hypothetical suspects with Kuvira.


	15. Loathing, and then Loving

Buttercup fidgeted. A lot. Her thoughts were fragmented. Much like everything today. She tried to recompose herself. This was a terrible idea, from a pragmatic standpoint. But pragmatism had been the point for too long. She wanted to do something impulsive, something dangerous, something…right.

She didn't know for sure. The marks on their backs were the same- she would always remember that mark. The hair too, although lush black hair was hardly a unique trait. Was she an earthbender? Buttercup felt ashamed as she couldn't even remember. True, it had been far too long, but it still made her a terrible mother.

She looked around to see if anyone was noticing her. No one was, which was odd, but this time it was a welcome prospect. She couldn't handle the media scrutiny that would come with a publicised visit. Although right now she was doubting whether or not a visit would be a good idea.

Did she even need to be here? It had been more than 20 years since it happened. She wouldn't be welcomed. Was she even conscious? What if she was still in surgery? What if she wasn't allowed visitors? Buttercup rattled off excuses from the top of her head, hoping that it would deter her conscience and allow her to leave. But her conscience, as flexible as it normally was, stood firm today. She would have to go through with it.

She saw Suyin Beifong walk out of the room after some time. Neither woman looked the other in the eye. She was in the third room to the right, Buttercup noted. She should wait, she told herself. After all, the surgery must have been intense, and it wasn't good to have so many visitors in such quick succession.

So she continued to wait. During that time she was approached by some other visitors who managed to recognise the First Lady. She reluctantly posed for photographs and consoled other victims of the courthouse madness. From what she could see no one had died, which was good. Deaths would've meant angrier citizens, which would be detrimental for the election. At least this looked like an isolated incident, so her husband's security policies wouldn't come under fire again. In fact, despite being isolated, a wanton act of terror (supposedly- for all she knew it could've just been shoddy workmanship) would justify his recent harsh stances.

After the hoards of worried friends and family wandered off as their loved ones came out of surgery, Buttercup found herself staring at the door, the one that was the third from the right. Should she go now? It had been some time since Suyin Beifong had left. Buttercup found herself rising from her seat, but something shot her back down again. She wasn't ready yet. Perhaps in a few minutes?

But a few minutes stretched into an hour as Buttercup sat motionless, still unsure about entering the room. The door was right in front of her, at times slightly obscured by doctors and nurses pacing around, but otherwise in full visibility. Even though it wasn't much taller than her, it was imposing and scared her into burying herself even deeper into her seat. She definitely wasn't going to visit today. If at all.

So she left the hospital and started walking. For some reason, she found herself diverting from the usual path to the presidential residence, instead opting for another route. A familiar route she often walked when she first came to Republic City. It reminded her of times she'd rather forget, back in her first few years in the city, before she found Raiko.

Thankfully she found an abandoned warehouse, away from the eyes of the city. It was like the workhouse she first lived in, only empty and barren. Buttercup sealed the doors behind her. The space in front of her seemed endlessly vast. Buttercup collapsed almost immediately, wanting to curl up and disintegrate.

She told herself that she would do it. From the second she saw that mark she was determined to do it. But she got scared. No, not scared. She got cowardly. There was a difference. Of course it would be a PR disaster if she was spotted consoling her, even if she was badly wounded.

But it was tiring, having to consistently think in terms of PR and public images. She had spent the last fifteen years moulding her husband and herself into the perfect couple, compatible and likeable to the masses. It had gotten them to the top, but it had turned their marriage into something of a business transaction. Which was what she had always wanted- until now.

Now, as her husband's approval ratings were at best dim, all of it seemed as empty as the warehouse. To think for all she had sacrificed, to be cast out before they could've truly built a legacy together, it was too much to bear. The tears started running down her cheeks. It was so unfair.

She let herself cry. This part of town was isolated. No one would come and demand an interview here- she should "enjoy" the peace and quiet and just be herself. In her misery she found herself cursing her husband. If only he hadn't been so idiotic with everything recently, then the pain would've been worth the extra term. But Buttercup was forced to admit the truth; Raiko's days of power were limited. It would take a miracle to keep him in power.

As she cried and cursed, a flock of bat crows descended from the ceiling. After the initial fright, Buttercup found herself remembering old times, when she'd have to avoid them eating her fruit every dusk for three years. Their presence here startled her, as she realised that it was evening. She thought it best to start making her way back home. Raiko would be worried.

So she went, escaping the slums of the city for its richer areas. The roads were sparsely populated, so very few people noticed her walking. She found herself on her way to the presidential residence when she spotted a girl, much like the one she once had. With her was her mother. The two were lovingly interacting on a bench, and their laughs could be heard from afar. That was the final straw for Buttercup.

She would do it. She would have to visit. It couldn't wait. She started walking briskly to the hospital and demanded to be taken to the room- the third one from the right on the fourth floor. The nurse she spoke to was perplexed by her request, but being the First Lady came with perks, so Buttercup was giving access, even though the patient was sleeping. Buttercup felt better knowing that- it would make this a whole lot easier.

She was let in and sat herself down next to the sleeping woman. The tears came again as Buttercup remembered how she left her, alone, to fend for herself. How she knowingly lied to herself, telling herself her infant daughter would've made it through the night. Apparently the lie was the truth, and had manifested itself in one of the worst dictators in recent history. Buttercup felt a lump in her throat when she realised she could be held accountable for what had happened over the last few months.

Buttercup had arguably created a monster with her decision to leave her daughter. Only now did she realise how selfish she had been, and how her selfishness had cost the world peace. This wouldn't have happened if they'd stayed together, if Buttercup… or perhaps it still would've. Abject poverty would've plagued them. That was always breeding ground for revolutionary dissent. The monster would have still waged war and killed thousands.

And yet, with her face content as she slept, Buttercup couldn't help but smile as she fondled her lush head of hair. There would always be a part of her that still loved her. Her daughter, the Great United. Her daughter, Kuvira.


	16. A Strange Discovery

Asami and Mako had to wait until after dark before they could access what remained of the courthouse. For the last 48 hours this area of the city had been sealed off from the ordinary citizens, as per custom when it looked like an act of terrorism had occurred. So they hung out nearby until the moon was out and shining and they was sure any security would've gone home, or at least that was what Mako claimed. Asami didn't believe that- shouldn't security be even more present at night?

However, Mako's claim seemed true, and the solitude they had took them back to old times. Asami remembered the brief fling of passion that had been their relationship. The crazy love triangle mess with Korra that had resolved itself in the most amusing and lovely way…it almost made her laugh and cry at the same time. Mako was thinking about Asami as well. Despite the occasional teasing that came with it, he was happy his exes had ended up together. They deserved each other.

Nevertheless, they could only dwell on their romantic history for so long before returning to the task at hand. They inspected the last standing foundations of the courthouse, trying to analyse any evidence that could be useful. However from what they could see it looked like an accident. A random accident.

Having found nothing to suggest an act of terrorism had happened, they were prepared to leave, but then, exposed in the spotlight of the moon, was a rock, evidently ignored by the regular security here. Not the usual kind of rock. This rock was a fantastic, almost electric blue. Even in the darkness of the night, it had a magnetic allure to it, drawing Mako and Asami to it.

"Should we pick it up?" Asami asked. The rock was fascinating, but quite a few fascinating things were dangerous. It looked so out of the place amongst the rubble that it was beyond obvious that it had been used for destroying the building. Still, that made it something that probably needed to be given to the police or someone else with authority.

"Do you have any special tools for that purpose?" Mako asked back. Asami shook her head after inspecting her satchel. Her negative answer left them standing motionless for a few minutes as they both wondered what to do next. As they stood the wind increased, and a pipe went rolling their way, as if for the sole purpose of enabling them to get the rock. Mako used the pipe for such a purpose.

As he pushed the rock towards them, Mako sensed more out of the rock. It was less of a rock and more of a stone, smooth and even in texture. After the rock had reached Mako's shoes, Asami quickly pounced upon it with her satchel, sealing it carefully as if it was about to detonate.

"Now to the police" Mako stated, before Asami cut him off. "It's not been open to outsiders since the explosion" she informed him, before he smiled. "You forgot that just because I spent the last three years playing babysitter to Prince Wu, doesn't mean I wasn't still a detective for the police" he smirked. Asami smiled back. In the chaos that had been the last few months Asami had indeed forgotten the details of Mako's exact profession.

So they went to the police station. It was a blur of people, crowds of officers and detectives obscuring the actual place. Mako and Asami had to navigate like airbenders to avoid being stampeded. The noise of investigators arguing opposing theories nearly deafened them both, but they eventually managed to access Lin Beifong.

"What are you two doing here?" Lin asked angrily, clearly frustrated at now having to deal with some more disrupters on top of everything else with this investigation. Asami rolled her eyes as she got the rock out of her satchel and laid it in front of the Chief of Police . It was Lin's turn to roll her eyes.

"And what relevance does this rock have to anything going on right now- is it a relic of your time in the Spirit World, Ms Sato?" Lin responded dryly, almost bemused at the gesture extended to her. Asami held her breath, trying not to hurl the rock straight at Lin's face. She appreciated what Lin was doing, but she was even crankier than usual.

"We believe that it caused the explosion, or something like that" Mako answered, only now realising how stupid his words sounded. Lin tapped the rock and nothing seemed to happen. She let out a sigh and threw it in the bin. The investigation must have been really stressful, Mako thought.

"You have found a rock of some kind. I would disregard this as evidence if Aang gave it to me, and especially more from the current Avatar, and even more so from her lovers. Now leave " Lin instructed, and the two of them promptly obeyed. Mako was considering offering to join the investigation, but he realised that asking to help was akin to a death wish. It was moments like these that made Mako wonder if Lin really was the reincarnation of Lord Zuko's sister, as Korra often joked.

"Well that was constructive" Asami deadpanned once they went outside. "We should've brought Korra or Tenzin with us to add credibility" Mako said. "They're both busy" Asami reminded him. Korra and Tenzin were involved in the humanitarian side of the current crisis, helping affected families and reassuring the general public of stability.

"Well at least we got some bonding done" Asami evaluated, as they started walking to her factory. Mako nodded with a smile. The two of them hadn't hung out in a long time, due to the whole relationship drama and or the consecutive world dilemmas that involved them both. But tonight was different. Perhaps because they didn't regard each other as exes, or fellow combatants in the struggle for life, they could be freely happy with each other.

"Yeah, the waves of stars tonight helped wash away the shores of insecurity built between us" Mako mused, to which Asami laughed. What poet was he quoting? Asami's classical education had taught her the distinction between good and bad poetry, but Mako clearly hadn't learnt the distinction. It was so unlike him to use such imagery in his speech though. That was a Bolin thing, and even Bolin never used such ridiculous metaphors.

"It's Wu's line" he muttered, clearly embarrassed at Asami's reaction. Asami smiled as she now knew the pen behind those words. She hadn't heard a lot from Wu. Neither had Mako or anyone else for that matter. He was in Republic City for some time, and then he just left. Presumably to the Earth Kingdom, but there had been little contact since. It events in the city had been less chaotic they would've probably been worried by now.

He's probably fine, Asami dismissed, as she and Mako approached her factory. They shouldn't be worrying about Wu when matters at home were far from secure. Besides, if he wasn't helping reform the Earth Kingdom then he was most likely travelling as a bard on the backs of badger moles. She voiced this last thought to Mako and he laughed for about five straight minutes.

"Poor badger moles" Mako snickered.


	17. Heightened Hysteria and Havoc

Izumi waited until the early hours of the morning to visit the police station. She figured that then it would be slightly less hectic and she would actually be able to sit down with Lin Beifong rather than risk death by stampede. So she left her suite at the hotel just before three and made her way to the police station.

Thankfully her prediction about the station was true, at least somewhat. It was still crowded, although not completely packed. There was enough space for her to briskly walk to Lin's office. She announced her identity before knocking on the door. Izumi had heard the tales of Lin's famed temper, and she didn't want to risk experiencing it herself. Izumi rarely exploited her royal status, but at this moment her regal title would be useful in helping her avoid the wrath of the Chief of Police.

"Come in" a tired voice droned, and Izumi did just that. Lin was buried among piles of paperwork and blueprints of the former courthouse. She had barely registered the Fire Lord's presence as she continued scavenging for something. There was a smattering of brilliant blue dust spread all across the table. Izumi wiped it off with her hand, wondering where it came from. The colour looked familiar.

"How's the investigation going?" Izumi asked. She didn't need a verbal response, the expression on Lin's face being a good answer. Their near non existent conversation was interrupted by a detective throwing some more files Lin's way. Izumi started to regret coming. The timing certainly wasn't appropriate.

"Do you want to take a break?" Izumi suggested, framing her words as a question in order to seem less imposing. Lin let out a quiet grunt before stretching her arms and obeying. The two women left the office for the kitchen area of the station. The fresh aroma of steamed dumplings at least seemed to make Lin more alert.

"Why are you here? No disrespect, but as you can see we're poorly equipped to deal with outsiders at the present" Lin said, her voice muffled by the food in her mouth. "Don't worry, I didn't come on a whim. I wanted to inquire on Kuvira's current status" Izumi replied.

"Then you should ask the hospital. After all, she's in there, not in our custody" Lin answered, clearly anxious to get back to her dumplings. "On her legal status- I feel it my duty to be aware of how she stands within the justice system, considering everything" Izumi answered curtly. She considered herself a patient woman, but Lin was testing her.

"I've got guards who'll monitor her at the hospital" Lin said, as she slurped up the last of the dumplings. The answer was something, Izumi concluded, even if she wanted a better one. But while she didn't find Lin's company alluring, her fatigue was clearly contagious, and Izumi found herself yawning and in need of her bed.

Bidding the police chief goodbye she walked back to the hotel and up to her suite. She dressed down for the night (or rather now, the early morning) as she got herself ready to sleep. Tomorrow would be better for making more sense of everything.

She was just sorting out some letters on her desk when she noticed what was missing. The stone! It was gone! All that was left was the empty casket that contained it! Izumi started panicking as she started searching frantically for it in her room. With every second she grew more worried as the stone still wasn't found in any place. She investigated the other rooms in the suite but the stone wasn't there as well. Izumi had to start meditating to keep her nerves in control.

Who could've taken it? It couldn't be any of the staff. They wouldn't risk stealing it while she was in the suite and she had it locked away whenever she left. Besides, the stone's value wasn't exactly in its appearance. It was a brilliant, shining blue, but it wasn't a rare jewel that had been passed down through the dynasties of Fire Lords. It had been a gift her mother had got her from one of their visits to Ember Island.

Still, Izumi needed to find it. Not since her fifth birthday had she spent a day without it, and she wasn't about to let that happen. So she dressed herself hurriedly as she tried to think of any logical place that would possibly have the stone. But she hadn't let it leave her room- so how could it have gone missing?

Wait, the dust! The dust on the table! It was the exact same colour as the stone! Izumi jumped up in relief, now having a lead on the case. The stone must be in the police station! Izumi promptly rushed out of the hotel and ran onto the streets, sprinting to the police station.

She pushed past staff as she hurled herself into Lin's office. The chief of police had been taking a nap and the Fire Lord's entrance jolted her awake. "What's the matter?" Lin asked, her voice surprisingly calm given the situation. However even in her groggy state, Lin knew better than to snap at the Fire Lord.

"Did you see a blue stone?!" Izumi asked, her question more like a frenzied exclamation. Lin was now fully alert thanks to the walking panic machine detonating in front of her. Far from the composed persona she projected to the public, Izumi was now a self destructive ball of neurological problems as she fidgeted, adamant to retrieve her stone.

"Was it on that?" Izumi followed up, pointing to the remaining dust left on the desk. Lin furrowed her brow as she tried to answer the question. Now that she thought about it, she did remember something blue being dumped on her desk. Was that what the Fire Lord was looking for?

"Was it this big?" Lin asked, marking the dimensions of the stone with her hands. "A bit bigger" Izumi answered dejectedly, disheartened that both Lin and her were thinking of different stones. "I think it handed it over to one of my subordinates" Lin remarked to herself. She thought she was being private with her thoughts but apparently Izumi had heard her, given the fact that the woman had darted straight out of Lin's office and into the main station.

"Have you seen a blue stone?" tons of tired policemen were asked, as the Fire Lord heckled random officers about her stone. Lin considered personally escorting her out of the building and onto the streets but judging her current state Izumi seemed more in place at a mental institution. What was with her obsession over the stone?

"Ma'am please calm down" Saikhan ordered, as he tried to get the Fire Lord out of his way. His words managed to soothe Izumi as she recomposed herself, only now realising how foolishly she had been acting. She started apologising to everyone she had harassed and was about to quietly make her way out of the station when the roof started leaking.

"Oh great" Lin moaned as the water started dropping onto the floor. No one in the station was a waterbender, so they had to approach the problem the manual way. As policemen collected buckets others started getting mops to clean up. Even Izumi and Lin pitched in. They were making good process when the droplets started dumping gravel as well as water. What was happening?

"What's happening?!" people frantically asked as they find cover from the rocky pellets. Lin tried offering an explanation, but before she could the building completely collapsed, engulfing them in rubble and ruins.


	18. Investigating the Explosions

"Avatar Korra, what are going to be your efforts in trying to stop a third explosion?" a journalist prodded. Korra started stuttering, unable to give a concrete answer. So she opted for the diplomatic option instead. "Once we understand why these buildings have been exploding then we can take measures to stop this from happening again" she answered, before taking another question.

The impromptu press conference was being held in the Republic City Park. After the second explosion nearly killed Izumi and Lin Beifong, Tenzin and Raiko held a conference and naturally as the Avatar, Korra was the one to answer questions. Unfortunately, even after all her experience with taking down insurgents and dictators, Korra still had trouble with public speaking. So the conference had been going at a stilted pace and even within 24 hours of the second explosion people were losing interest.

"There have been two explosions already. Surely their cause would be known by now" another reported stated. Korra was stumped and had to ask for a moment to answer the question. She came up with a generic "our resources have been thinly spread in too many directions".

"That's all for now" Tenzin stated, putting Korra out of her misery. Korra breathed a sigh of relief as the journalists started trickling off. Asami reassured her girlfriend as Jinora and Ikki started clearing the area. Mako was dealing with security and Bolin was entertaining the remaining reporters with some funny anecdotes. Both Korra and Asami noted that he would have made a much better spokesman for the conference. "But he can't wield power over all four elements" Asami said, clearly complimenting Korra. Korra blushed, although she didn't necessarily agree with the idea behind the compliment. Asami couldn't even bend one, and she was well, Asami.

"How are Chief Beifong and the Fire Lord?" Jinora asked concernedly. "Better than Kuvira, I gather" Tenzin answered. "Well that's reassuring" Bumi commented. Tenzin rolled his eyes. Even in times of such severity, his brother couldn't stop with the snarky remarks.

"But seriously guys, do we have any idea about the explosions?" Bolin asked. Since the second explosion early in the morning, conspiracies about a terrorist ring in the heart of the city had been circulating on the streets. Or at least, that was what Varrick had been telling them. When she heard it, Jinora had to wonder whether or not Varrick had been capitalising financially from said rumours.

"Well, I don't think that we can claim them to be accidents anymore" Asami figured. "But why the police station?" Korra asked. "Did the people behind it know Izumi and Lin were in there?" she went on, trying to answer her own question. If the perpetrators wanted to make a statement, why the police station? The courthouse she could understand, but not the station.

"Did the stone cause the explosion?" Asami asked out loud, to which most people in her company raised their eyebrows. Mako however, remembered the stone they had found amidst the rubble of the courthouse. His face lit up as he started racing to what remained of the police station.

"Wait up bro!" Bolin exclaimed, as him and the rest of the crowd tried to keep up with Mako. Once they reached the station's ruins Mako started throwing rubble everywhere in his efforts to try and retrieve the stone. In this Asami helped him, and Bolin and Korra earthbended, even though the two of them barely knew what to search for.

Jinora and her siblings meanwhile glided over the ruins to assess the situation from an aerial perspective. Or at least, that was what Jinora was doing- Ikki and Meelo were just doing somersaults in the air. Jinora surveyed the rubble, but she couldn't find any abnormal stones. Even as she descended lower, she couldn't make out a stone of any kind. Of course, the fact that she didn't even know what the stone looked like didn't help.

"What does the stone even look like?" Korra asked, after she and Bolin had overturned every piece of rubble. "It's a brilliant blue!" Asami shouted. At this point Meelo exclaimed "I found it!" at the top of his lungs, as he dived down to the ground.

"Where?!" Mako asked excitedly, as he rushed to Meelo. Meelo pointed to a smattering of blue powder below him. Mako scooped up some in his hands and showed it to the rest of the group. It wasn't a stone, that was for sure. However, it was the exact same shade of blue as the stone was.

"That doesn't look like a stone" Varrick remarked. Mako ignored him as he poured the powder into a box in Asami's satchel. "I think we can now say that the stone, or powder in this case, can be linked to the explosions" she said, as she sealed the box.

"I'll try and investigate on the stone and see if we can trace it back to a concrete source- Mako, Bolin and Asami- come with me for that" Korra instructed. She was the Avatar after all. "Varrick, investigate the powder- Jinora go and help him" she continued, making a note to apologise to both Jinora and Tenzin for this.

Once a series of tasks had been delegated out to everyone, people split into their assigned groups. In the comfort of a small café, Korra and her friends started throwing names of potential suspects. "One of the triads?" Bolin suggested. "Probably not. They've been inactive for years" Asami shot down.

"Some fringe members of the Red Lotus? We didn't get all of them" Mako stated. "Not a bad idea- but I don't know. Why wait for three years?" Korra replied, as she sipped her tea. She was running through a list of all their opponents, wondering who could possibly be guilty among them. The Equalists? Hadn't they disbanded themselves? Besides, non benders had equal rights now. Unalaq was dead. Kuvira was critically injured thanks to the first explosion, so she was an unlikely suspect.

They continued listing names for another hour or so until they admitted the futility of what they were doing. As they go up to leave, however, they were ambushed by a frantic Jinora. "We need your help!" she exclaimed as she ran towards them. "Jinora calm down" Asami urged. There was no time to ask what the problem was because Jinora started darting away, and the four of them found themselves running after her.

They reached the park. Bolin nearly fainted with horror. The park was barely a park anymore, with its once lush trees now laid to waste as blackened trunks of burnt wood. What was once Korra's statue now was just chunks of charred marble. What had happened?!

"It just went like boom all of a sudden!" Varrick cried, tugging at Mako's shirt. "What was that crazy powder!" he went on, as he tried to salvage what he could of the park. "The powder did all of this?!" Asami exclaimed in disbelief. The stone had never meted out destruction of this scale- and it never appeared to have set anything on fire. Meanwhile, the powder however, appeared to have the power and deadliness of a small explosive.

"Well, one thing is certain" Mako stated, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "We need to be get to the bottom of where this stone came from".


	19. Politics, Pressure and Pain

"More explosions desecrate the city" the headline read. Raiko put away the paper as he was issued another set of points to discuss in the upcoming presidential debate. He had an appointment with the Avatar later in the day to talk about the explosions and a PR stunt with the victims in the hospital. Still, he couldn't help but smile a bit. At least now his inadequacy as a leader wasn't on the front page of every newspaper. Not that what happened at the police station was warranted. He will still struck dumb by it.

"Have you got your points ready for the debate?" his wife asked as she came into his office. "They were issued to me just now" he replied. Buttercup sighed. Her husband was always like that, never prepared for anything. She took the sheet of the points and went over them. Most of them were to do with the problem of unemployment and defence, although the issue of same sex relations came into play with a point about the Avatar and the girlfriend.

"What are you going to say?" Buttercup asked. She had to remind herself of her husband's positions, so much had been going on with Kuvira and everything. "Just the usual" her husband replied. With Raiko, "just the usual" meant advocating the centre right position. That meant that they could count on losing pretty much the entire youth vote.

"You should really say something supportive about Korra and Ms Sato" Buttercup recommended. Raiko sighed. He was tired about hearing about them. What were the public calling them? Korrasami? While their approval ratings were sky high he was fighting to hang onto his dangling thread of power. He groaned as he remembered the meeting he had with her later in the day.

"What about the other issues? Should I comment on the explosions?" Raiko asked, wanting to talk about something else. "Of course you idiot!" his wife exclaimed, her anger unexpected to her husband. What was she so angry about? It was a valid question, and besides his wife was never one to get heated. Instinct told Raiko it would be best to leave her alone.

After a few minutes she had calmed down enough to apologise, although both had mutually decided that her efforts would be better elsewhere. So in order to give her husband more time to prepare for the debate, Buttercup decided to fill in his place at the hospital. That would allow her to catch a glimpse of Kuvira as well, so it worked out for both of them.

She was just about to leave when she stumbled upon the Avatar. What was Korra doing here? She wasn't due for another few hours. Buttercup voiced these thoughts to Korra. "I apologise, First Lady, but I thought the President got my message" she answered. "We didn't" Buttercup replied, before leading Korra to her husband.

"President Raiko, could I have a word?" Korra asked, as she sat herself down in Raiko's office. President Raiko remembered when she first came into his office, three, maybe even four years ago, and how sprightly she had been. Now the Avatar was a composed young woman. The difference was a bit startling, to be honest.

"Yes- about the bombings" Raiko eventually answered, as he got over his initial shock. Both were unsure about what exactly to say as they tried to formulate answers to hypothetical questions to be asked by people they never felt comfortable talking to.

Eventually some ground was broken as it was decided that Korra should oversee the police while Lin and other senior officers were recovering at the hospital. A few generic points on the question of getting the United Forces involved were made- while at first against the idea, Raiko was eventually persuaded by Korra. General Iroh anyway would be coming to the city to see his mother. Raiko however didn't want to get external parties involved, and even with his concession he insisted on the UF being limited to a delegation of 25.

Korra was a bit startled by Raiko's demand- wouldn't getting more outside forces help? Especially with so many officers temporarily wiped off from active service. Still, she didn't further the issue as she didn't want to push the President's buttons.

By mutual agreement they decided to end the meeting at that point, as nothing fruitful came of it. Korra thus headed out of the office. On her way through the Presidential Gallery out she noticed a portrait of her previous life, Avatar Aang. It was a new portrait, most likely commissioned for visitors to awe at the President's respect to the Avatars. Or at least, that was what Tenzin would theorise if he saw the painting. Korra herself wasn't too interested in the paintings, her and her previous incarnation being the subjects of many pieces of art. What caught her eye was the dash of blue carelessly splattered over Aang's robes. Why was it there? To symbolise his marriage to Katara? Even though she lacked Meelo's artistic prowess, she could tell it was a bad move painting wise.

However, upon closer inspection, the splash of blue seemed out of place not only artistically, but literally too. Surveillance was low in the corridor, so Korra indulged in a childish impulse to touch the painting. Even though she had theorised it, she had never thought it was actually true. The blue was literally out of place! The paint came right onto her hand!

"What!" Korra exclaimed, as she tried to bend some water to clean her hand. However as the water touched her skin she let out a cry of pain. What happened! To her horror, Korra saw her fingers burn as the water touched her skin like daggers. Crimson was scarred on her hands and she ran out of the building, tears falling onto her hands and intensifying the agony.

She would've tried to heal herself with the water that she carried, but it seemed that water had caused the problem. She rushed to the park and tried to meditate the situation. Meditation was a temporary relief, until the pain started surging back into her veins, inflaming her blood without mercy.

She needed to get to the hospital. As best as she could while trying to deal with her hand, she soldiered on, fighting the pain with every step. Fortunately she got there before the pain got too extreme and was quickly escorted to the emergency centre. Painkillers were administrated and the attendant was smart enough to realise that water was what had landed Korra in the hospital.

"What happened?" the attendant asked, as he tied a bandage to Korra's hand. "I touched some wet paint and when I put water to clean my hands this happened" Korra answered, not going into details. The attendant's puzzled reaction to her answer told her that what she had undergone wasn't a usual predicament.

After an hour she was given a prescription of tablets and further burn medication. The bandage would have to stay on for a few days. Korra sighed as she realised her bending capacities would be limited by this development. The last time she had to bend one handed was when she was eight, and even regular training exercises. Now that she was fully realised as an Avatar, perhaps it would be less of a hindrance.

While walking on her way to the Future Industries HQ to meet up with Asami, Korra thought. The blue, it was a brilliant hue, much like the powder, or at least that was how she remembered it. Could it, could it be of the same source as the stone? It had to be! Nothing else would've caused such a burn to erupt on her hand like that.

The self revelation came with another question though. Why was that kind of paint in the Presidential Gallery?


	20. A Weird Idea?

"I'm sorry, paint did this to you?" Asami asked again, her face having worn an expression of perplexity for the last five minutes. Korra nodded for the fifth time, now slightly irritated that Asami was refusing to believe her. After all these years…

Not trying to pay too much attention to her girlfriend's dismissive attitude, Korra re-bandaged her hand. The two of them had been overseeing production at Asami's factory (or rather, Asami was, Korra was overseeing Asami overseeing production). Future Industries was working on mechanical antidotes to the problem of explosions. The antidotes were part of the company's new forays in nanotechnology and was designed to reinforce buildings that otherwise would crumble if they were to suffer from the threat of an explosion.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Asami asked, when she saw Korra fidgeting with her hand yet again. "Yeah" Korra mumbled as she continued fidgeting. She was lying. Her hand was swelling from all the bandaging and she was still suffering from the residual effects of the burn. Usually water would've been a good remedy, but of course that wouldn't help this time.

"Let me see it" Asami insisted, knowing full well Korra was lying. Korra gently refused, citing her prescription. Once the production of the antidotes had been fully laid down and ready to go on automated, Asami felt confident enough to let the process handle itself as she and Korra left the factory to meet up with Tenzin.

After getting themselves to Air Temple Island they found themselves in the midst of relatively minor chaos- although the chaos was only minor when on a global scale. Dealing with Meelo's, Rohan's and Ikki's escapades whilst simultaneously having to get the island ready for Lord Zuko had already driven their parents insane and since Kai had been stationed back in Republic City Jinora was occupied as well. Korra and Asami thus had to practice conflict resolution between wild kids and beleaguered parents.

Once the kids had been controlled (their excitement had been due to the former Fire Lord's visit) and informed of the real reason for his stay in the city, Tenzin sat down with Korra to discuss what had been decided in her meeting with Raiko. Tenzin found himself slightly bemused with the idea of Korra filling in Lin's tight, by the books shoes and glad to know that the UF would be helping out.

While they were talking Korra debated whether or not she should explain the injury on her hand. Did it warrant one? As Korra went over the event in her head she realised that it made little to no sense. No wonder Asami had been so dismissive. How did paint do this to her? Especially paint belonging to the President…

Could Raiko actually be responsible? No- it was a ludicrous suggestion. Why would Raiko want to bomb the courthouse? Why would Raiko want to bomb anything? Raiko was many things, but he wasn't a terrorist. And besides, how was he benefitting from the bombs? This type of strange blue tinted explosive stone must have been more common than she thought- although how it could be crushed and watered to make paint without exploding was a point of inquiry. It was that question that made the otherwise ridiculous notion of Raiko being the culprit stick in her head. It was the only explanation that could vaguely account for the paint.

Still the thought wasn't pleasant. Apart from not seeming to make sense, it was also disturbing. A president, who had sworn to protect his people, destroying the city like that? It was sickening. It was like her uncle, Kuvira, Queen Hou-Ting and Ozai, only even worse because he was attacking the very people who had given him his power. Thinking about it made her feel sick.

"Are you okay Korra?" Tenzin asked concernedly. The question snapped Korra out of her own thoughts as she realised her feelings about Raiko must have made themselves onto her face. She thought about lying but Tenzin would've seen through it and demanded an answer. So with a heavy sigh Korra detailed exactly had been troubling her.

"I can assure you the idea's not as strange as you think" Tenzin remarked as Korra finished her account of how she acquired her injury and her thoughts on the potential culprit. Korra sat up in disbelief. How was this believable? It probably wasn't even true, and here was Tenzin, arguably the most rational person she knew, saying her crazy theory was "not strange"! There was nothing not strange about a president bombing his own city! Korra's mouth opened and hung in mid motion, her surprise unable to manifest itself into words for a while.

Eventually she managed to voice her thoughts. "Not strange! Even I think it's illogical!" she exclaimed, loud enough for Meelo to literally fly into their conversation with a loud "What's strange!". Once he had been diverted elsewhere, Tenzin elaborated on his judgement.

"It's not exactly a shocking revelation that Raiko's not a paragon of virtue- even his supporters didn't elect him for his strong moral compass. Remember how he was getting hammered by the press and general public before the bombing? Well ever since the explosion at the courthouse he's managed to avoid major criticism and even the idea of him serving another term has become a possibility. He has the motive." Tenzin said, as Korra found herself having to comprehend what was being said. Raiko would do that just to get the media to stop hassling him?! It was disgusting!

"Of course it may not be true, but as far as conspiracy theories go I've heard far more ludicrous ones" Tenzin added. Korra wasn't convinced by this but she decided to keep her opinion to herself as she walked over to Asami. She wondered if she should tell her. After some deliberation Korra decided to do so. She had shared far more intimate things with her girlfriend, and soon the news would spread amongst their circle, as judging by Tenzin's response it was likely that the group would hear the theory soon enough. Korra just wanted Asami to hear it before that.

Asami's reaction to the idea of Raiko being behind the bombings was almost as collected as Tenzin, just with slightly more widened eyes. Apparently the notion of Raiko being a terrorist wasn't as unfathomable as Korra thought it to be. "Why is nobody surprised by this?" Korra had to ask. In spite of the nature of what had been told to her, Asami couldn't help but smile when she heard her. In matters like these Korra was more innocent than even Rohan.

"You haven't grown up here. Back at the South Pole you manage to have upstanding leaders- not so much here. Believe me, Raiko isn't even the worst of them. Corruption's a serious issue here." Asami replied, as she helped Pema with some cleaning. With that comment Korra found herself thinking about her uncle, who said something about "decadent modernisation" breeding immorality. Of course, Unalaq and Asami were worlds apart in practically everything, but Korra did note that the lack of technology at the poles could correlate to more honest politicians. At least in the South.

Korra was about to help Asami and Pema when the sun was suddenly blocked. All three women looked up and found themselves in awe. It was a dragon, long and majestic, descending gracefully upon the Island. Everyone else on the Island was summoned as everyone tried to rein in their excitement, knowing full well why the dragon was in the city. But still, the dragon was hard to not admire, and its rider even more so. After all, who couldn't be in awe of Lord Zuko.


	21. Coups and Conspiracy Theories

"Why all the fuss? It's not like this is an official ceremony" Lord Zuko dead panned, humoured by the awe he had inspired. Although, right now anything even mildly entertaining would've humoured him, and he just wanted to have some levity in his life.

"Lord Zuko!" Meelo exclaimed, not listening to what had just been said and choosing to kneel to the ground in deference. Everyone else was more subdued in their reactions after hearing the former Fire Lord's quip and Korra cracked a smile, which quickly disappeared when she remembered exactly why Zuko had come to Republic City.

"Have you heard anything about your daughter?" she asked as Zuko dismounted. Not wanting to make the atmosphere even more melancholy, he answered with a nod before heading inside the temple for a drink. Once his thirst had been quenched he relaxed for a bit before heading for the mainland to visit Izumi. He decided to go alone, wanting to spend time with his daughter privately, away from outsiders, even if they were well intentioned.

After failing to get his sons to stop playing with Druk, Tenzin got Korra to one side, keeping an eye out for Meelo and Rohan as they tried to ride the dragon.

"What's your plan?" he asked. Korra was dumbfounded. "What plan?" she asked back, confused as to what Tenzin meant. Apparently the notion of a plan was obvious, at least, given Tenzin's sigh. "About Raiko? How can there be a concrete plan in place?" she answered, eventually getting wind of what Tenzin was referring to.

"This is just a crazy theory that you and Asami think may be true on no basis of evidence! And I thought I was the impulsive one!" she exclaimed. "We shouldn't bother with technicalities if we have a man willing to take out his own citizens!" Tenzin fired back. That was a good point, Korra had to admit. If Raiko was a threat, then he needed to be taken out. The only problem was that they didn't know if Raiko was a threat. But that didn't matter to Tenzin.

"All right- we'll discuss a hypothetical plan" Korra relented, with an emphasis on the word hypothetical. She personally didn't know how to implement a hypothetical plan- what would it entail? How would they take out Raiko? How did you remove an elected leader peacefully? It wasn't like they could do a Red Lotus on him- Korra had heard about how the Earth Queen had died, and she shuddered to think air bending could be so deadly. No, it would just be a coup followed by a trial, Korra thought. Which would still a lot to accomplish, not to mention dangerous.

At this point Asami joined them. Considering that she already was a proponent of Korra's conspiracy theory, neither Korra or Tenzin censored their conversation, the latter curtly informing Asami of what he was planning, and the former insisting it was still just hypothetical.

"A coup? That's all well and good on paper- but how will it work?" Asami asked, intrigued by how Tenzin could pull off a mini revolution. "Simple. We find a piece of concrete evidence confirming Raiko's guilt, expose him to the public, and let them elect a new leader" Tenzin explained, as if it were the most obvious thing,

"How can we find anything to incriminate him? He's the president, if he did it like you two are suggesting, then he would've covered up his tracks" Korra said, taken aback by how complacent Tenzin was with instigating a coup against an elected leader. "Besides, according to Asami everyone in politics here is corrupt- so who's an adequate replacement?" she added.

"To say everyone is a bit too much. There are a few upstanding people. Besides we can always inject new blood into the political sphere" Asami counter argued, her enthusiasm for this coup having grown. Seeing her get so excited calmed Korra. A bit. Asami was the one person who could keep her head firmly screwed on in a crisis, and while Tenzin could sometimes go uncharacteristically crazy, she never did. So if she was supporting the coup, then Korra could at least not oppose it.

"Okay fine. We'll start planning this. But you too come up with the scheme. I'll be turning my efforts to maintaining the city and making sure that Raiko is actually guilty- don't act on anything before I can confirm he is" Korra relented, as she left the two of them to plan out their coup. Even though the idea of replacing Raiko was growing on her, she felt a bit uneasy about it.

It was her job as the Avatar to maintain the balance of the mortal and spirit worlds. How would overthrowing the President help that? Especially so soon after having dismantled the Earth Empire, which still needed attention in rebuilding into the Federation Wu wanted- talk about an ignored issue! They had just managed one crisis. It wasn't like they need anymore imbalance. Besides what was the issue with Raiko?

Of course Raiko wasn't a paragon of virtue, that was for sure. In fact, while Korra was still indecisive on who she wanted to win the election, she knew for certain she didn't want to see Raiko sit another term in office. However, she wasn't for organising coups against elected leaders who weren't confirmed to be oppressing their citizens. Compared to the Earth Queen at least he was a benign enough leader. Besides, even if he was more of a megalomaniac, a coup still wasn't the best idea. It was a coup that allowed Kuvira to take charge in a power vacuum.

However, Korra felt a bit less uneasy when she remembered exactly who were leading the charge on the coup: Tenzin and Asami. Two of the wisest people she knew. If they were interested in a coup then there must be good reason for it. However she wasn't prepared to get involved in an insurgency just yet, and her support for it was still shaky. She wanted to make sure that the coup was being fought on genuine ground, and not just on her conspiracy theory. However, as she heard Tenzin and Asami reaffirm it, she started to think her theory might actually be true.

"Korra?" a voice asked. It was Jinora, who surprisingly wasn't with Kai. "Yes?" Korra responded, wondering why she was needed. "What are my dad and you talking about?" Jinora asked. At this point Korra didn't know what to say. She didn't think that an air bending master needed to have information censored for her just because of her age, but she didn't want Jinora to worry about a coup that may not have even be happening. So she made up something about taking care of Druk, unable to think of anything else. Unfortunately for her Jinora was perceptive enough to see through the fabrication.

"Tell me the truth Korra- it wasn't about Druk" she replied, her eyebrow raised. With a sigh Korra told the truth. Jinora's eyes grew a bit wider and her eyebrows raised more, but otherwise she didn't react crazily. "It figures- tons of people want Raiko gone. So long as they do it peacefully and give him a trial and allow the people to elect a new leader I'm all for it" she remarked once she had assessed what had been said to her.

"So you're for it?" Korra asked, wondering if the coup now had a third supporter. "It's inevitable in my opinion. Raiko needs to be taken down, and if it isn't done properly, then we'll be throwing ourselves from the wok into the fire" Jinora replied, before going back to her boyfriend to pick some flowers.


	22. A Father's Thoughts

"It's okay" Zuko whispered into his daughter's ear. She obviously couldn't hear him, but her spirit at least would still be reassured. And it had reassured him, reminding himself of the fact. She hadn't suffered any major organ damage that a quick surgery hadn't fixed. Her coma was medically induced and within a few hours she would be awake once the anaesthetic wore off. Still, it was disturbing seeing his child like this.

Nothing had ever prepared him for something like this. Izumi had been born after all the assassination attempts, just after the Fire Nation had become truly stable. She had never known the unrest he had, in the early years of his reign. Izumi had only seen the Fire Nation reconstructed as an industrial powerhouse, its riches obtained through honest trade rather than by cruel imperialism. He had never had to fear for her life or Iroh's the way he had feared for his own when he was Fire Lord, or even when he was Prince.

But she would be all right. Izumi was a born survivor. Even though she in many respects was thankfully not like her grandfather, she did resemble him in one way- her refusal to give up. Such grit was disastrous in someone like Ozai, but hopefully that grit would be channelled positively to drive her to a speedy recovery.

Zuko couldn't help smiling as he saw his daughter's face. The bruises from the explosion were disturbing to see, but very few things felt as beautiful as seeing one's sleeping child, free of worry and discontent. His little princess. She may be well into her sixties and a monarch in her own right, but Zuko would still always think of her as his little princess. If only her mother was still with them…

Zuko had let his thoughts wander to his departed wife for a while. After a few minutes of emotional reminiscing, he focused back on his daughter and analysed her medical stats, just as a further precaution. Her pulse was steady, which was good. Everything else was fine as well.

He wondered when Iroh would be coming. Thankfully he would be staying in the city for some time, due to his duties as a general. It would be nice to have them in the same place after what seemed like at least a decade. If only they could've been reunited under happier circumstances…

Zuko's mind wandered off again when he noticed something off. The stone! It was missing! Izumi had never let it leave her sight! Immediately, Zuko started panicking as he realised exactly what could go wrong. That stone was dangerous if allowed to fall into the wrong hands, So what had happened?!

Izumi was far too cautious to just leave it lying around. It must have been stolen and he…needed to calm down. Zuko got a grip on himself and quelled his short lived paranoia. His daughter needed him right now, to be beside her and possibly help nurse her back to health. He couldn't go chasing through the city for the stone right now. Besides, he was probably just worrying himself. The stone must still be in Izumi's hotel suite, sealed away from any malicious doings.

After a half hour by his daughter's bedside, Zuko was told by a doctor that his daughter needed some privacy. While he personally wasn't inclined to obey, his put his trust in the professional medical opinion and left Izumi's room. While he was outside he thought it might be a nice idea to visit some other patients.

Lin Beifong was in the same state as Izumi, but there were a few patients still injured from the first explosion. They were all awed to meet Zuko, although he tried to diffuse the situation with some self deprecating jokes. Children were anxious to ask about his legendary duels and his uncle's ability to turn into a dragon. He gave some tales on the former and chuckled at the latter, without outright denying it so as to not let the children down. Besides, the image of his jovial uncle as a fiery dragon was too funny to ignore.

It was while visiting the other patients that he ran into Buttercup Raiko. She initially flustered to see him, but composed herself for a curtsey. Zuko guessed her flustered state wasn't to do with his status. She was a first lady after all. He would've asked what was bothering her except that he didn't want to seem nosy. So instead he asked why she was in the hospital.

"Just like you- I thought my visit would give a boost of morale to the injured and show the compassion my husband and I have for the people" she answered, as if being interviewed during a political debate. Her poise was legendary throughout the world's political circles, and many, including Zuko and Izumi, thought Raiko's political legacy was largely down to her. Zuko of course didn't voice these thoughts.

"And I would like to deliver my personal sympathies towards you. I can only begin to comprehend what anguish you must be going through" she later added, in reference to Izumi. Zuko thanked her for the kind, if insincere, words before heading off in another direction. Try as she might, Buttercup didn't understand what he was going through. Only another parent could.

Unbeknown to Zuko was that Buttercup's words weren't totally insincere. Neither was she not in a position to understand his pain (or at least somewhat). This had been the most recent in a whole string of visits to Kuvira. Buttercup would sit beside her unconscious daughter for hours each time. If she felt like it she may engage in one sided conversation "with" Kuvira. So far she had yet to visit her while she was awake. She was conflicted on doing that, unable to determine whether she should listen to her newly emergent maternal convictions or trust her politically minded gut, which had years in the making of being groomed to good judgement. She went with the latter.

Her visit to Kuvira now concluded, she left the hospital. Meanwhile, Zuko went back into his daughter's room. It was another three hours before she was expected to wake up, so Zuko resumed his seat by his daughter's bed and waited until he could see his child's eyes flutter open again.

The bruises on her face were impossible to ignore. As much as he tried, Zuko couldn't look away. The bruises were unusual. Not at a casual glance, but Zuko had a unique insight into facial wounds. Upon further inspection, their peculiarity could be fully observed. They were violet, to begin with. A bright violet that almost seemed to be illuminated. It was beyond strange. It looked out of this world- but somehow familiar as well.

He had seen these exact same bruises before! Years ago, if he was remembering correctly. It had been on Ember Island, back to before Iroh was even born. Way before. Izumi must've been a young girl…

All at once the memories came rushing back in full force. The wounds, scarred onto victims' faces, a blinding violet, even more pronounced than on Izumi's face. They were the result of an explosion, and a very unusual one. It had been provoked by the rain…

Zuko jolted up as a revelation hit him with full force. The stone! It had caused this! It must have! Zuko had given one to Izumi on that visit, those stones were abundant on the island. They were feared by some islanders, because of the strange way they reacted to water- by causing fiery explosions.

Zuko's heart stopped for a quick second as he processed everything. The stone was definitely missing. And it definitely the cause of all this chaos.


End file.
